Wilma Iris Lassetter Hornsby | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Wilma Iris Lassetter Hornsby, 89, died peacefully at Tennova Residential Hospice in Knoxville, TN, on Saturday, November 10, 2012. She has returned to her hometown of Cullman, AL, for burial.

    Born May 17, 1923, to Guy and Mamie Lassetter, the second of three children, Wilma graduated from Cullman High School in 1941. She took great pride in being a native of Cullman, actively participating in community events like the annual Strawberry Festival at Cullman (1941), where she was part of the Strawberry Princess Court with her sister Charlotte Lassetter Dunlap and friends.

    During her youth, she was employed by such notable local businesses as Ponder's Department Store, Schlosser's Photo Studio, Ward's Jewelers, and Yost's 5 & 10. She met her future husband, Cecil Raymond Hornsby, on a double date while he was serving in the U.S. Army during WWII; they were married at the Pastorium of the First Baptist Church of Cullman in1944, moving to Birmingham, AL, in 1945. The Hornsbys relocated to South Florida for a time where they continued to raise their family. Wilma and Cecil retired to Cullman in 1990.

    Wilma was a naturalist, animal lover and a highly skilled homemaker who enjoyed gardening, sewing, reading, and most of all -- her family. She always played an active role in her children's developmental interests, including Girl Scout leadership and successful school/church projects. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and aunt.

    Wilma was preceded in death by her husband, Cecil; her daughter, Janice Hornsby Petras; and her brother, Edward Guy Lassetter.

    She is survived by daughters Cecilia (Christ) Prokos of Washington and Patricia (Raymond) Lewis of Knoxville, TN; son-in-law, Chris Petras of Tallahassee, FL; grandchildren: Kristi Petras Glisson, Allen Petras, Tiffany (David Pollard) Alley, Mark Anderson, Katina Prokos; and great-grandson, Zander Dune Pollard. Other surviving family members include her sister, Charlotte Lassetter Dunlap and her children Vicky (Charles) Lawrence and James "Jimmy" (Mariann) Dunlap, along with their children.

    Services for Wilma will be conducted Saturday, Nov. 17, at Moss-Service Funeral Home Chapel in Cullman, starting with a short visitation for family and friends at 10 a.m., immediately followed by a funeral service in the chapel with Pastor Steve Wood presiding. Burial will be in the Cullman City Cemetery.

    In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in Wilma's name to The Sisters of Mercy at Tennova Residential Hospice in Knoxville, TN; the Honor/Memorial Program at Cullman County Regional Medical Center; or to the charity of one's choice.