Richard Clinton Horner

Richard Clinton Horner was born in Tucson, Arizona, weighing 7lbs 4oz on July 4th, 1957.  He peacefully passed away in his home surrounded by his loving family on Saturday, April 13, 2024.

He is survived by his wife Darlene, daughter Elizabeth and her husband Chris Lynch, son Gilbert, brother William Jr.  and his wife Denise.  He is preceded in death by his father William Sr., mother Kathryn, and grandparents Robert and Eugenia Woods.

Richard, known affectionately as Rick, graduated from Morenci High School in 1975 and directly dedicated 8 years of hard work to the Morenci copper mine. After a few stops in plumbing and underground utilities, he later found his forever home at Okland Construction in Tempe, Arizona. During his 27 years at Okland, he not only excelled as the Chief Estimator but also mentored numerous individuals in estimating, leading the company to dedicate a classroom at their Tempe office in his honor.  At Okland, Rick has had his hand in nearly a hundred construction projects throughout Arizona, Utah and Nevada.  He also taught some classes at East Valley Institute of Technology; and spoke to students at Arizona State University about Construction Estimating.

Growing up, Rick had a love for classes like English and history and was active in school sports, playing football and basketball. In his teen years, he enjoyed watching Godzilla and Star Trek, passions he later shared with both his children. Rick’s love for Godzilla was so profound that he chose to be cremated wearing a Godzilla T-shirt gifted to him by his daughter, Elizabeth, a testament to his enduring love for the iconic monster and the special bond he shared with his family. From his early days with Atari to adulthood with PlayStation 5, he had a deep love for video games, especially first-person shooters, often unwinding with a glass of red wine in his favorite chair.  Rick was a good handyman and could fix or install anything.  Our daughter once told him, “Daddy, you can fix anything.”  He replied, “Sweetheart, I can fix anything but a broken heart.”

Rick’s dedication to coaching began when he started coaching his son Gilbert in basketball, a role he cherished so much that he continued coaching for 13 years with NYS Sports in Gilbert, supporting young athletes from ages 6 to 17.

He became a member of Central Christian Church in 2017.  He was baptized as an infant and later as an adult March 24, 2024.  His favorite bible verse that helped him during his battle with cancer was Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.

Rick’s kindness, generosity, dedication and love for his family and community will forever be remembered and cherished.