Funeral services for Tonya Evon Fedora Horner, 78, of Brownwood will be held Friday, August 30, 2024, at 11:00 am at Heartland Funeral Home Chapel with J. Tom Washburn officiating. Interment will follow at Eastlawn Memorial Park. Visitation will be held from 6:00 until 8:00 PM Thursday at the funeral home.
Tonya passed away, Tuesday, August 27, 2024, in Abilene.
Tonya Evon Fedora-Horner was born in Brownwood on January 21, 1946, to John and Doris Fedora. She graduated from Brownwood High School in 1964 where she lettered in geometry.
She married Thomas Riley Horner on June 5, 1965. She graduated Cum Laude from Howard Payne University where she majored in mathematics and in education. She received her Master of Education from Tarleton State University in 1980. Her Master’s Degree was hard earned with her late husband, Tommy, as they took night classes together in Stephenville with Brant and Brinn at home under the care of their Meme, Doris Fedora.
Upon graduation from Howard Payne University, Tonya began her teaching career at Brownwood ISD. She taught hundreds of students during her 31 years teaching math at BISD. She sponsored the Key Club at Brownwood High School. They were known for their charity work and community projects under her tutelage. She was awarded Teacher of The Year for her tireless efforts with the Key Club and their projects.
After her retirement from Brownwood ISD, she began teaching mathematics at Howard Payne University. She was employed there for 15 years. Her lifetime of teaching touched hundreds of students’ lives and impacted them well beyond their time in her classroom.
She and Tommy owned B & T Landscaping, and with the help of their family, landscaped many apartment complexes and golf courses. They not only supervised the business; they labored along with their family to create the designs they planned. In partnership with Don and Betty Martin, she and Tommy also owned Gallery One Fine Arts, LLC in Brownwood. During this venture they brought many fine artists’ work to the community.
She held many offices during her professional career including president of TSTA Brownwood Chapter, Key Club Sponsor, and Treasurer of Retired Teachers Association of Brownwood.
She was a member of Brady Avenue Church of Christ and Austin Avenue Church of Christ. She participated in a mission trip to the Philippines while a member of Austin Avenue. She also took part in the meal train program for bereaved families of Austin Avenue Church. She attended the ladies’ Bible class and taught many of the Bible classes.
She was most known for her generosity. She orchestrated Christmas collections of pet supplies that were then donated to the Corrine T. Smith Animal Center. She also orchestrated student donations for the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Outreach. She assisted families during the Toys for Kids Campaign by wrapping gifts and helping them select gifts for their children. If she saw a stranger in need, she would support them in whatever manner she could from buying groceries to filling up cars with gas.
Tonya loved many things in her life including Jesus, dragonflies, horned toads, goats, sheep, donkeys, plants, traveling, her cats Bobbie Kitty and Sparky, and her precious Jack Russell, Jiggs. She also loved animals and bottle fed many goats and sheep throughout the years. She loved to sit outside and watch the baby goats play. She always had a supply of fresh carrots in her refrigerator for the grandchildren to feed the goats.
She had several hobbies including vegetable canning, jam making, yard work, rock moving, and animal wrangling, but being a grandmother was her favorite. She attended countless sporting events, dance recitals, awards assemblies, school plays, and class parties. She also took all her grandchildren on special trips around the country. She first began her journey in grandparenthood as “Na,” which then evolved into “Nakie,” and finally “Kaky.” She was known to Evyn & Emily as “Nakie”, and she was known to Avery, Riley and Amery as “Kaky.” She always said that she didn’t much care what her grandchildren called her as long as they called her.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 48 years, Thomas Riley Horner, her parents (John and Doris Fedora), brother (Kendal Fedora), sister-in-law (Frances Sue Pinson), brothers-in-law (Jimmy Horner, Joe Horner, Bob Horner, Oran Pinson, and Henry Schoen), and two grandchildren.
She is survived by her children, Brant Horner (Suzanne) of San Angelo and Brinn Ball (James) of May, five grandchildren – Evyn Horner (Sergio Estrada), Emily Gomez (Michael), Avery Ball (Seth Watson), Riley Ball, and Amery Ball, one great-grandson – William Michael Higgins IV (better known as Cuatro), sister – Melody Schoen, sister-in-law – Karen Fedora, and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Austin Avenue Church of Christ, Corrine T. Smith Animal Center, or Toys for Kids of Brownwood.
Condolences, memories and tributes can be offered to the Horner family online at heartlandfuneralhome.com