Thomas Harris 'Tommy' Horne III
Thomas Harris “Tommy” Horne III, 48, of Butler passed peacefully into the loving arms of his Heavenly Father Monday at UPMC Presbyterian surrounded by family, following complications from a stroke.
Tommy was born March 2, 1964, in Murfeesboro, Tenn., a son of Thomas Harris Horne, Jr. and Betty Jayne (Sands) Horne.
Having lived in seven states, he graduated from Worthington Christian School in Columbus, Ohio. However, Tommy was a true Butlerite and lived his life to the fullest here.
He was an enthusiastic “Soccer Dad” and a great father, an adoring husband to his wife who he lovingly referred to as his “Barbie” as well as a loving son, brother, uncle and friend. He loved hard, worked hard and played hard. He loved boating at Lake Latonka and the Allegheny River, enjoying soccer and other sports with his family, golf and special times with his friends.
Tommy was a graduate of Slippery Rock University, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration.
His education served him well in his work with the Hunter Family of Companies, where he served his customers and community as used truck manager at the Butler branch from 1995 until 1998 and then vice president of used trucks from 1998 until the present.
In work, as in life, Tommy excelled. In 2011, he was the Used Truck Association (UTA) used truck dealer of the year nominee for OEM member of the year. In 2010, he was a UTA Lifetime Achievement Award nominee. He was a member of the Peterbilt and Kenworth Used Truck Dealer Group, a past board member and orator of the UTA, and a past recipient of the Peterbilt Red Oval Award.
He is survived by Amy Beth (Whitacre) Horne, his wife and love of his life, who he married Aug. 7, 1992; his sons, Samuel Thomas Horne and Ethan “E” Harris Horne; his parents, Thomas and Betty Jayne Horne, Jr. of Mercer; and siblings William Thomas Horne of Pittsburgh, Robert England (Adriane) Horne of Charlotte, N.C., and Elizabeth A. (Ryan) Jones of Greensburg.
He was a special uncle to Cecelia Judith Pellegrino, Vincent Patrik Pellegrino, Rocco Francis Pellegrino, Jackson Thomas Jones, Colter Isaiah Jones and Ruby Elizabeth Jones.
He is also survived by his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Harding (Corky) and Judith Whitacre; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Patrik “PJ” and Laura Pellegrino, all of Butler; uncle and aunt, General Thomas and Barbara Sands of New Orleans, and cousins Calvin Sands of Tennessee and Jennifer (Art) Atkins of Alexandria, Va.
<B>HORNE</B> — A celebration of Thomas Harris “Tommy” Horne III's life, who died Monday, May 7, 2012, will be at Community Alliance Church, where he was an active member, at 11 a.m. Thursday. The Rev. Dennis Krajacic, his pastor, will officiate.Even in death, Tommy excelled, as he donated his liver and kidneys so others could live.In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Samuel and Ethan Horne Education Fund, C/O Farmers National Bank, 1101 N. Main St., Suit 1, Butler, Pa 16001, or to the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE), 204 Sigma Drive, RIDC Park, Pittsburgh, PA 15238.Arrangements by <B>Geibel Funeral Home</B>, 201 E. Cunningham St., Butler.
