Donald Thomas Hornish Jr

Thom Hornish passed away peacefully after a valiant yearlong battle with cancer.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, 10am at SS Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church, 158 Stiles St, Elizabeth .Visitation will be Tuesday 3 – 8 pm at Krowicki – Gorny Memorial Home, 211 Westfield Ave Clark with a prayer service at 7pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Westfield Helping Hands organization c/o Westfield High School or to the Living Memorial Fund of SS Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church in Elizabeth.

Thom was born in Milford, Connecticut .He moved to West Caldwell in 1960 and graduated from James Caldwell HS in 1967.Thom received his undergraduate degree from Seton Hall University in History and Education in 1971. He was a member of the Seton Hall soccer team and a brother of the Tau Delta Phi fraternity. He earned a Master’s degree from Rutgers University in Social Studies Education. Thom taught at Morris Catholic HS before starting a 41 year career of teaching Social Studies and coaching at Westfield HS. He served as the head girl’s cross- country coach, winter and spring track coach and advisor to both the Fed Challenge and Euro Challenge teams. Thom was instrumental in founding the Friends of Westfield Track Organization and the Westfield Helping Hands Organization. He was member and past president of the Westfield Optimists Club and a new member of the Westfield Boosters organization. Thom was also an adjunct professor of History at Union County College .He was an active parishioner and church council member of SS Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church in Elizabeth. Thom’s passions were history, teaching, coaching, sailing his boat on Greenwood Lake, his family, his dogs and taking his wife to Yankee games. He was a caring and giving man who always put the needs of others before his own. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Thom is survived by his loving wife of nearly 39 years, Donna (nee Magda), his parents Mary Ann (nee Flanagan ) and Donald Sr. of New Hope ,PA, his sister Susan Rinn and her husband Joe of Hillsborough, his brothers Peter and his wife Kathy of Brooklyn, CT, and Kevin and his wife Theresa of Glen Rock, his niece Meghan Rinn, his nephew Ryan Hornish, his beloved beagle Belle and many loving and caring friends.

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