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Dr. Samuel Gordon Hornsby, Jr., 82, of LaGrange died on July 12, 2024.

Born on August 3, 1941 in Roanoke, Alabama, he was the son of Samuel Gordon Hornsby, Sr. and Sibyl Royston Hornsby.

He was educated in the public school system in LaGrange, Georgia and graduated from LaGrange High School in 1959.  His academic credits included a B.S. Ed. and M.A. from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. from Auburn University. Dr. Hornsby taught English at LaGrange College from 1966 until his retirement in 2004.  Later into his retirement, he returned to the classroom, serving for several years as an adjunct professor at West Georgia Technical College. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, The International Society of Bible Collectors and St. Peter’s Catholic Church.

Dr. Hornsby was a teacher and a published scholar.  Teaching was his vocation, his passion, his calling.  Throughout his academic career he served his students as instructor and mentor bringing to the classroom his sparkling wit, keen intellect, and deep compassion.  To those he worked with over his long career, he was not only a colleague but a dear friend.

Preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Hornsby is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Jacqueline Beasley Hornsby of LaGrange; son, Jefferson Arthur Hornsby, grandson, Sebastian Pierce Hornsby, and granddaughter, Elizabeth Anne Hornsby of Canton, Georgia.  He is also survived by his brother, Jefferson Calhoun Hornsby and his wife Margaret of Quitman, Georgia, as well as his nephews Jeshua Calhoun Hornsby and his family of Thomasville, Georgia, Benjamin Samuel Hornsby and his family of Athens, Georgia.

The final years of Dr. Hornsby’s life were consumed by debilitating illness.  He met the challenge of each day with grace and his trademark humor. The prayers, visits, and thoughtful assistance of family and friends sustained him as did his remarkable caregivers at home and through Wellstar West Georgia Hospice.   

No words in this space offer an adequate expression of his gratitude and that of his family for the loving care he received.          

Visitation is scheduled for Friday, August 2, 2024 from 5 P.M. until 6:30 P.M. at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary – LaGrange.

The Rosary will follow at 6:30 P.M.

The funeral mass will be held at 10 A.M. on Saturday, August 3, 2024 at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in LaGrange, Georgia.

In lieu of flowers, those desiring may make memorial gifts to St. Peter’s Catholic Church, LaGrange College or Wellstar West Georgia Hospice.

Arrangements are by Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, 1010 Mooty Bridge Road, LaGrange, Georgia, 30240

Those wishing to share a condolence or remembrance with the family may do so by visiting www.shlagrange.com.