Obituary of W. Donald Horn

W. Donald Horn, Sr., 87, died peacefully at home on Thursday, February 25th after a brief illness. Born in Orange, NJ on August 29, 1928, to Martin L. and Kathryn Horn, Mr. Horn grew up in West Orange. He married his grade school sweetheart, the late Ann Farrell Horn, moved to Short Hills and raised 10 children over the next 40 years before moving back to West Orange in 1997. A lifelong restaurateur, Mr. Horn was the proprietor of legendary Pals Cabin and Mayfair Farms in West Orange and remained active in management until recently. Mr. Horn is survived by his children, Don Horn Jr and wife Eileen, Joanne Korba and husband John, Peter Horn and wife Demi, Jim Horn, Elizabeth McLaughlin and husband John, Jeanne Fay and husband Bill, Marty Horn and wife Diane, Jennifer Blair and husband Kip, Sara Baduini and husband Chris and son-in-law David McMillin. He is predeceased by his loving wife of 43 years Ann Farrell Horn, daughter Mary Kay McMillin, grandson Jeffrey Korba and granddaughter Julia Blair. He is also predeceased by his brother Martin L. Horn, Jr. and survived by his sister Carol Horn Stanziale. Mr. Horn was eternally proud of his 29 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He is survived by his wife of 15 years Kathleen Grace and her sons Mathew and Jamie Vipond and their families. Mr. Horn was a lifelong member of the Rotary Club of West Orange and New Jersey Restaurant Association serving as its President in 1968 and recipient of its highest honor, the Deborah Dowdell Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. In addition, Mr. Horn was an internationally renowned expert on the life of General George A. Custer and the Battle of the Little Big Horn, served as Chairman of the Board of the Little Big Horn Associates and authored several books and periodicals on General Custer. Socially he was a member of Essex County Country Club and the New York Athletic Club for over 60 years. He was a graduate of West Orange High School and Seton Hall University and was a member of the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame. Visitation will take place on Monday, February 29 from 3 PM until 7 PM at Codey and Jones Funeral Home, 54 Roseland Avenue, Caldwell, NJ. A Funeral Mass will be offered on Tuesday, March 1 at 10 AM at St. Joseph's Church, 44 Benvenue Avenue in West Orange with entombment to follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Rotary Club of West Orange Foundation, Inc. / Jeffrey Korba Scholarship, 333 Eisenhower Pkwy, Livingston, NJ 07039.