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Audrey Schwartz Horne, a devoted and loving wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away on April 28, 2023, at 88 years old. An advocate for education, families, and the arts, Audrey will be remembered by those she touched for her caring, spirited and dedicated approach to all of her endeavors.
Born in Manhattan on July 20, 1934, Audrey was the second child of Kevie and Vera Schwartz. She moved to Chicago at the age of 11, where she attended Francis Parker School prior to attending Vassar College.
Audrey and her husband Fred Horne first met at Andover when Audrey was 13 years old at the graduation of her older brother, Alan. A close friend of Alan's, Fred declared upon meeting Audrey, "I am going to marry you when you grow up." Despite her definitive response, "Not if you were the last man on earth," that was the beginning of "the best love story of all time," to quote one of her grandchildren. Audrey married Fred two days after graduating from Vassar in 1955, and they moved to Fred's hometown of Wheeling, West Virginia.
Audrey immediately became an impactful member of the Wheeling community through her passionate involvement in K-12 education, tennis, Temple Shalom, and the arts. She was a leader in the world of education, serving on the Ohio County School board for 18 years, including several terms as President, and was the driving force behind the construction of many new schools. Audrey then served on the West Virginia state school board for 12 years, including serving as President. In these roles, Audrey made real her campaign slogan, "Audrey for Action."
Audrey was an accomplished athlete and fierce competitor. She played varsity tennis and field hockey in college, won a silver medal in tennis at the Maccabiah Games, and competed on tennis teams into her 70s. Audrey's love of tennis inspired her entire family's love of the game as well as the naming of the Horne Family Racquet Center, located in Oglebay Park in Wheeling.
Audrey was a lifelong learner and lover of the arts. In her early 40s, she went back to school and earned a Master's in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh. When Audrey and Fred started spending significant time in Scottsdale, Arizona, she became a docent at the Contemporary Art Museum and soon thereafter was appointed to the Scottsdale Public Art Advisory Board.
Audrey had a unique talent for connecting with others and cherished strong, lifelong friendships. To these relationships she brought her unyielding loyalty, vivacious personality, sharp intellect, and a desire to laugh and have fun.
In addition to Fred, Audrey is survived by her children, Amy (Doug Loeser), Bob (Laurie Lindenbaum), David (Connie Lausten), and Pam and by her grandchildren: Eva Loeser (Vaki Nikitopoulos); Sarah (Ethan Rosenthal), Max, and Rachel Horne; Eliza, Naomi, and Isaac Horne; and Sarah, Leah, and Gil Salzman. Audrey will be deeply missed by her family and friends and the many other people she positively impacted throughout her life.
A service will be held in her loving memory at Temple Shalom, Bethany Pike, Wheeling West Virginia on May 16, 2023, at 2:30 pm and will be livestreamed at www.facebook.com/ templeshalomwvlive/. The service will be followed by shiva until 6:00 pm, and the family will also sit shiva on May 17 and 18 from 5:00-6:00pm at Temple Shalom. Donations in Audrey's memory can be made to Oglebay (www.oglebayfoundation.org /giving/support-tennis) and Temple Shalom (see address above).