Leroy Granger Hornbeck passed away on Feb. 24, 2021. Born in Seattle, Washington on Aug. 8, 1934 to Emma and Roy Hornbeck, Le was a kind, devoted and industrious man, who was fiercely proud of his Scottish heritage.
Le graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor of arts degree in Business Administration. He spent the next 32 years working in the UW Chemistry Department at Bagley Hall, retiring in 1985 as director of facilities and services.
While working full-time at UW, Le purchased a tax consulting business, which he cleverly renamed AA Tax & Financial Services so it would be the first tax service business to appear in the Yellow Pages. He was still preparing tax returns under the AA Tax umbrella into his 80s.
When Le retired from UW at age 53, he began serving active duty for the U.S. Army as personnel officer at Fort Lawton, a position he held as an Army Reservist. He served active duty for seven years, retiring in 1999 as a G13, Personnel Manager. Never one to shy away from hard work, Le continued working part-time for UW Chemistry Department supervising the renovation and expansion of Bagley Hall, while working full-time for the Army.
When Le and his wife Willean retired in 1999, they made Port Townsend their home. After retiring twice and still running a successful tax firm, Le purchased Port Townsend Computers, which he owned and operated for 10 years.
Le was dedicated to public service and gave generously of his time to support the communities in which he lived. He volunteered for numerous organizations, including Housing Authority of King County (commissioner), Mill Creek Planning Commission, Rotary Club of Port Townsend (past president), Washington Association of Accountants (treasurer), United Good Neighbors (treasurer), H2Out, Inc. (director and secretary/treasurer), Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce (treasurer), Jefferson County Housing Authority (commissioner), Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County (treasurer), The Key City Players, Chair of the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners and homeless shelter volunteer (among other things) for First Presbyterian Church of Port Townsend.
And in his spare time, he scrupulously researched family genealogy and traced his lineage in the U.S. back nine generations to Warner Van Hoorenbeek, who arrived in the U.S. in 1660. He even started the Hornbeck Genealogical Society, which surprisingly had multiple members. He was an avid woodworker, writer, and traveler and he loved his wife and family more than anything.
Le is survived by his loving wife Willean; son David Hornbeck; daughters Karen Bertram and Diane Little (Ronald); stepdaughters Carmel Mawle (Craig) and Seanda Williams (David); his sister Peggy Macdonald (Bruce); grandchildren David and Benjamin Little and Melissa Haller, Reid and Keira Bertram, Rachelle, Angela and Michael Mawle; great-grandchildren Benjamin and Sydney Little, John Waggoner, Sophia and Sampson Haller, Cory Meyer, Ryder Mawle, Liam Mawle-Ross, and Eliana Mawle-Vazquez; and niece and nephew Jeanette and Kenneth Macdonald.
A virtual memorial service will be held at 3 p.m.(PST) Sunday, March 7. Join us in celebrating the life of LeRoy Granger Hornbeck at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQNsMVXIwJA.
