Reba Elaine (Taylor) Hornsby

With sadness in our hearts, we announce the death of our mother and matriarch, Reba Elaine Hornsby, on September 17, 2021 in Pleasant View, Tennessee. Reba was born September 28, 1932, in Tallassee, Alabama to Leavy and Sam Taylor. Raised with siblings Paul, Duane, and Marilyn Yvonne (all deceased), Reba went on to attend Troy State Teachers College. She married her high school sweetheart, Gerald Jackson Hornsby on June 4, 1955, and remained devoted to him for the rest of their life together.

Reba was a selfless mother to her five children, Rebecca Bronwen Baker (Wayne, D.), Holly Miller (Woody), Cliff Edward Hornsby (Emily), Gwenmarie Hornsby, and Gerry Paula Binkley (D.). She was "Meemaw" to numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren and became a great-great-grandmother earlier this year. Living in multiple towns across the South, Reba turned every house into a home with her sunny disposition and talents for crafting stories and home cooked meals; her recipes for cornbread and chicken n’ dumplins will be enjoyed for generations to come. After many years as a high school teacher and homemaker, Reba turned her great love of books into a new career as buyer for Ingram Books.

She was a masterful storyteller who lived with a cast of colorful characters crafted in the vast expanse of her creative mind. Lucky were those of us blessed by her storytelling and beautiful singing voice. Reba was quick-witted and a lover of words. Her amazing trove of obscure trivia earned her the title "The Queen

of Useless Knowledge," and she and Jerry spent many companionable mornings conquering the New York Times crossword puzzles until his death in 2015. In her final years, Reba enjoyed sharing stories, discussing current events, and spending time with family. At her death, she was two weeks shy of her 89th birthday. Reba leaves behind a legacy of love, comfort, and humor, and we are all blessed to have been a part of her full life.

As Reba and Jerry devoted much of their lives to justice and the empowerment of others, Reba has requested donations to the Second Harvest Food Bank in lieu of flowers.

Please visit Reba's tribute wall and share a memory with the family.