September 22, 1932 - May 25, 2019
John Hornell died at home in Victoria on May 25, 2019. Born on September 22, 1932 in Vernon, BC, John was the second of five children born to Edward and Pauline Hornell. John grew up in Vernon before beginning his career with the British Columbia public service, which took him throughout BC including to Dawson Creek, Pouce CoupeÌ, Prince George, Quesnel, Ucuelet and other locales before moving to Victoria in the early 1980's where he worked as a Court Clerk.
A lifelong bachelor who led a quiet and private life, family history and connection were important to John, who traced the roots of his family to Scotland and the Ukraine and kept in touch with many far flung relatives as a consequence of this genealogical interest. He volunteered for many years with the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Victoria, helping with the monthly Ukrainian dinners, and kept in regular touch with a broad network of family and friends across the province and the country by telephone. John loved animals including his horses Alpha and Danny, his two Siberian Huskies and latterly his African Grey Parrot, Coco. John was a regular attendee at auctions in Victoria and an avid collector of antiques. Daily coffee with his friends at Casey's Market in Oak Bay was an important ritual in recent years. John is predeceased by his sisters Phyllis and Ada and survived by his brothers Bill and Vern.
John was buried privately with a small group of family in attendance at the Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Vernon, where his parents are also buried.