Lawrence Horne

Lawrence Thad Horne passed away on June 9, 2020 in his home in Syracuse, Utah. He was born April 12, 1932 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Owen Woodruff Horne and Mildred Meyer Horne.  He was raised on a dairy farm in West Kaysville, Utah where he learned the value of working hard and passed his work ethic onto his family.  He attended Davis High School and was the president of the Future Farmers of America (FFA). His FFA projects included raising a calf and maintaining a coop with 300 chickens and continued to keep chickens throughout his life.  He played cello in orchestra and flirted with the bass player who nicknamed him ‘L. T.’ and then later married her, his sweetheart, Barbara Joyce Hatch (Bobbie), June 19, 1952 in the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Shortly after their marriage, Thad was drafted into the United States Army, serving two years in Korea as a military policeman, guarding hospital and supply trains.

His background and love for farming led to studies in Agricultural Economics.  He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Utah State University, and PhD from Oklahoma State University.  Thad was an associate professor in biology at Weber State College in his early career. His professional life encompassed more than 30 years in Federal Service in both the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Forest Service.  He and his family lived in West Layton, Utah; Stillwater, Oklahoma; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Syracuse, Utah.

Thad was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in many leadership positions, but one of his favorite callings was teaching his eleven-year-old Primary boys. He taught those around him by the life that he lived, his work ethic, integrity, helping others with any need, and sharing his love for his Savior, Jesus Christ.

Farming was his passion. He was actively involved in the Farm Bureau serving as a board member and president of the Davis County chapter.  He spent many hours with his son and grandsons harvesting grain and corn. His garden always provided for his family and the neighbors too. Thad loved fresh corn and planted it every two weeks to have corn on the cob until the first frost. All of his children and grandchildren loved to ride with him in the combine or his riding lawn tractor.  He was famous for pulling teeth with a doorknob and string. Everyone loved it when he would let them ‘stand on his hands’, he would lie flat on his back on the floor, inviting a child to stand on his hands and then raise them high in the air performing aerial push-ups, sometimes offering his foot for the balance challenged.  Little children giggled when he swooped them off their feet for a swing and always came back pleading for more. Gentle teasing was his hallmark, with a love for being with his family and he would never pass up a good Rook game.

He was amazing; a strong, selfless, determined and creative man. Thad never accepted that something could not be done, he just kept working at it until he found a way to succeed. It seemed like he could fix anything, bring any idea to life, and our family jokingly agreed that he could ‘move the mountains’. Dad was not always verbally expressive, but his love language was expressed in actions to help the people he loved. His influence for good and great example will be forever missed.

He is survived by his four children, Mary Ellen (Don) Nance of Little Rock, AR; Bradford Hatch Horne of Centerville, UT; Lorraine (Steve) Linford of North Salt Lake, UT; and  Ruby Rae Horne of Syracuse, UT; 13 grandchildren: Owen, Cynthia, Clayton, David, Catherine, Jeremy, Mark, Robert, Taryn, Rebecca, Samuel, Hyrum, and Haven and 37 great-grandchildren. Also survived by his siblings, Marvin Horne, David Horne, and Carolyn Myhre. His beloved wife, Bobbie, and his parents and brothers Richard, Harold, and Kenneth preceded him in death.

Funeral services will be held Monday, June 15, 2020 at 11 a.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Road.   Friends may visit family Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Monday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the mortuary with COVID 19 precautions. Interment, Kaysville City Cemetery.

For those unable to attend, the funeral services will be live streamed at www.lindquistmortuary.com.

Family will gather after the interment for ice cream. It just wouldn’t be heaven for Dad if there is no ice cream.

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