Leona Horne Obituary

Leona Mae Horne, age 83, passed away on March 13, 2016 at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She was a resident of the city since 1965.

She was born on March 31, 1932 in Palestine, West Virginia to Virgil and Gladys (Stallman) Cheuvront and spent her early years on a farm. When she reached school age, her family moved to Parkersburg, West Virginia, and she graduated from Parkersburg High School. She attended West Virginia University, focusing on cello performance and graduating with a bachelor's degree in music education in 1954. She received a master's degree in education from the University of Colorado (UCCS) in 1984. She married Richard Horne, a violinist and member of the United States Air Force Band, in 1952, and together they had three children.

After graduating from college, Leona began teaching music in the public school system in Rantoul, Illinois, where Richard was stationed. When the Air Force then stationed him overseas in the early 1960's, she took a brief hiatus from teaching to join him in Wiesbaden, Germany where their first child was born. When he was stationed at the Air Force Academy in 1965, they made their home in Colorado Springs. For over 30 years, she taught vocal music at schools in the city, including Jefferson Elementary School. During that time, she also played cello with the Colorado Springs Symphony. For over 50 years, she enjoyed giving piano, cello, voice and music theory lessons to both children and adults.

She is survived by her children: David (wife Laura) Horne, Andrea (husband David) Wirt, and Shari (husband Marc) Allison, and four grandchildren: Alicia Allison, Benjamin Allison, Hayley Horne and Christopher Horne. She was preceded in death by her husband and her parents.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Shrine of Remembrance Funeral Home at 1730 E. Fountain Blvd. A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 17, 2016 at the Shrine of Remembrance "America the Beautiful" Chapel. A reception will be held immediately following the service at the Olympian Plaza Reception and Event Center at 975 South Union Blvd. (around the corner from the Shrine). Entombment will be at the Shrine of Remembrance Chapel Mausoleum.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Heart Association (www.heart.org).