Robert Michial Hornung, 92, of Swansboro and formerly of Ocracoke, died January 4, 2025.
Born March 31, 1933, in Nyack, New York, Bob was a son of Edward Hornung and Elizabeth Smith.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Kathleen (Kay), brother Edward and twin sister Marilyn.
Bob attended Congers High School in New York. He was a track and field and cross-country athlete, earning the Varsity Championship Shield in cross country.
He graduated in 1951 and went to work at Lederle Laboratories in Pearl River, NY. He served in the Army from 1953-1955, then returned to New York and Lederle Laboratories, where he worked as a machinist until 1983.
He met Kay in 1955. They married on November 2, 1958, and moved to Monroe, NY, where they raised their three children.
Bob and Kay discovered Ocracoke Island in the summer of 1972 and purchased land there shortly thereafter.
Bob built a home largely with his own hands on the island and the couple moved there permanently in 1983.
He worked various construction jobs on Ocracoke and made many great friends on the island. He enjoyed boating, fishing, riding on the beach and tinkering in his garage.
Bob remained on Ocracoke after Kay’s passing in 2022, moving to Swansboro in 2024.
Bob is survived by children Nora Blythe (Mark) of Wilmington, Delaware, Robert Hornung (Donna) of Hubert, NC, and Daniel Hornung (Kathy) of Creedmoor, NC, and many grand- and great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at a later date.
To honor Bob’s love of cats, donations may be sent to Ocracats, P.O. Box 993, Ocracoke, NC 27960.
Donations may also be sent in Bob’s memory to the Ocracoke Life Saving Church, PO Box 68, Ocracoke, NC 27960.
