Mike Hornbach, 61 years old, passed away surrounded by family on Friday, January 15, 2021. He was born on October 23, 1959 to Frances (Meyer) and Andrew Hornbach. Mike grew up in St. Leon, attended St. Joseph Catholic Grade School, and graduated from East Central High School. He later attended Purdue University where he lived in a co-op, Kneale House. It was in his sophomore year at Purdue that he met the love of his life, Lesa Roe. They married on May 23, 1981. Lesa & Mike were blessed with two beautiful daughters and nearly 40 years of marriage. After graduating from Purdue, Mike taught agriculture at Milan High School a few years, and then fulfilled the remainder of his career as Dearborn County’s Purdue Extension Educator before retiring in January 2017. Mike enjoyed assisting at the annual 4-H camp, which his daughters attended every year.
A diehard Purdue fan to the end, he loved watching Purdue sports and tailgating. Family vacations were a must to the Hornbach family and many memories were made on these special trips. Ever the fun loving guy, trips were also made to Florida, London and Ireland, as well as Austria and Germany, where beer was shared with thousands of other people celebrating Oktoberfest. Mike & his family loved attending all the local festivals including: Freudenfest, Oktoberfest in Germania Park, St. Leon’s Fireman’s Festival and, of course, all the church festivals. Attending concerts will also be fondly remembered by his family. Whether it was standing in line for hours to get Garth Brooks tickets, enjoying the music of `N Sync for his girls’ sake, or randomly happening upon a Puddle of Mud concert, Mike was always ready to have a good time. Mike could be counted on to help anyone at anytime, especially when his daughters needed assistance. He loved to help them landscape or clean up various projects around their homes. He was often at his parents’ home helping them as well. Mike and Lesa also volunteered their time at the All Saints Parish by helping with the summer festivals, setting up for funerals at the PLC, making and serving food for funeral meals, and weed eating the St. Joseph Cemetery. Mike enjoyed riding around in their jeep, playing pickleball, tennis, basketball and even coaching his daughter’s basketball team. He loved the New Orleans Saints, mostly because Drew Brees was from Purdue. He also liked working in his vegetable garden, spending time with his dog (Keady), and watching the Cincinnati Reds. A family man in every sense of the word, Mike created moments in time with his family that will be cherished forever.
Mike will be greatly missed as he was a loving son, husband, father, grandfather, friend, and co-worker. He impacted so many within the community and will never be forgotten. Those he leaves behind include his wife, Lesa; daughters Amanda (Ben) Naumann and Angie (Alex) Miller; grandchildren Addie & Simon Naumann; and parents Frances & Andrew Hornbach.
A private Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, January 18 at 10:30 at All Saints Parish, St. Joseph Campus. Although mass attendance is private, it will be lived streamed at https://www.youtube.com/user/aspweeklyhomily. A celebration of life will be held at a later date so the community that Mike loved so much can participate. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to All Saints Parish, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, or the John Purdue Club, which helps with scholarships. Memorials can be mailed to Andres-Wuestefeld Funeral Home at 25615 State Rt. 1, Guilford, IN 47022. Please visit www.andres-wuestefeldfh.com to sign the online guestbook or leave condolences.