IN LOVING MEMORY

William Austin Hornbuckle

February 9, 1930 – January 13, 2021

Austin, 90 years of age, beloved husband, supportive father, treasured granddaddy and great granddaddy, passed-on from this life on January 13, 2021.

Austin believed in the importance of maintaining a healthy body and mind. For physical health, he enjoyed a nutritious diet, and stayed active by riding a stationary bike and gardening each day. His mental acuity could be attributed to his keen interest in reading books on philosophy & theology and researching genealogy. After retirement, he attended continuing education classes at the University of Alabama – Huntsville.

He loved his wife and family and worked hard to provide everything that was needed or wanted. In retirement, he freelanced as a “Senior Advisor” to those in need of advice and took great pride as a self-described “Care-Giver”, serving his wife, Nancy Lee, breakfast every morning and chauffeuring her to lunch, beauty shop & doctor’s appointments.

He enjoyed debating issues, cheering for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team and listening to a wide variety of music, with a special love for the genres of country, bluegrass and gospel. One of his greatest joys was playing guitar and singing with his family. He felt that music was very important, so he was proud to encourage and then witness his kids, grandkids and great grandkids learn to play musical instruments and sing.

While raising his own family in New Hope, Austin looked to help others. He developed and built several affordable residential housing subdivisions in New Hope, which remains populated by individual family-owned homes today. He was integral in the planning, development and building of several of New Hope’s firsts: the first City Hall, the first football program, and one of the first rural YMCA’s in Alabama, which (more than 50 years later) continues to serve the community as New Hope City Recreation Center.

Austin’s additional accomplishments of note include: working with the City of Huntsville to develop Ditto Landing, for which he served on the Board of Directors as president for over 20 years; appearing in Fortune 500 magazine in the 1980’s as one of the top insurance producers in the country; and in recent years serving on the Board of Trustees for the Byrd Cemetery and continuing the historical plotting.

Austin was preceded in death by his parents: Weston and Lillie Mae Hornbuckle; brothers: Arnold Hornbuckle, Merlin “Mutt” Hornbuckle, and Loyal Felton Hornbuckle; son: Steven Austin Hornbuckle; and daughter: Linda Lee Keller.

He is survived by his loving wife of 72 years, Nancy Lee Hornbuckle; children: Don Neal Hornbuckle (Jeanette); Kathy Lipman (Mark); Susan Hornbuckle; John Scott Hornbuckle; grandchildren: Robert Hornbuckle (Jessica), Callie Incalcatera (Paul), John Neal Hornbuckle (Stephani), Brian Clark (Hannah), Matthew Lipman, Morgan Lipman; great grandchildren: Sydney Hornbuckle, Sawyer Hornbuckle, Skyler Hornbuckle, Alana Incalcatera; and many other family members and friends. That’s a lot of family. Nancy Lee. 6 children. 6 grandchildren. 4 great-grandchildren.

This page is dedicated to forever remember my Granddaddy. He stepped up when I was born to be a father figure to me. He will forever be my Dad. He always believed in me and inspired me to pursue continuing education. Some of fondest memories included having coffee at different shops and talking about business, philosophy, and religion for hours. He convinced me to start Clark Hornbuckle Properties and to get my real estate license. He served as Co-Founder and Senior Advisor for Clark Hornbuckle Properties (est 2015). His presence can never be replaced. There is and never will be anyone like Austin.

We love you, forever.

Clark Hornbuckle Properties Memories