In Memoriam: ELCA Vice President William “Bill” Horne

ELCA Vice President William “Bill” Horne, 1949 – 2021

William "Bill" Horne II, vice president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), died Aug. 14 of a suspected heart attack. Horne was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Clearwater, Fla. He served as city manager of Clearwater since 2001. 

"Bill was a man of absolute integrity and a deep, living faith in the grace and love of Jesus. Bill embodied the Lutheran understanding of vocation as husband, father and city manager," said ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton.

Horne was elected vice president by the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The position is the highest a layperson can hold in the ELCA, and in this role Horne presided over the ELCA Church Council. In his reports to the council, he often spoke of his practice of meditating on the Sunday lessons "to hear what God is up to in my life, and how I might apply the word to my work vocation and daily walk with my congregation, family and neighbors."

Horne loved Christ's church. He was invited by a Lutheran Air Force chaplain to be part of the community and never looked back. He was active in his congregation and sang in the choir. He also had served as the vice president of the Florida-Bahamas Synod and on the ELCA Church Council as a member and, these past five years, as the ELCA vice president. "Bill was energized by being the churchwide representative to synod assemblies. His leadership was strong, thoughtful and wise," Eaton said.

Following his election in 2016, Horne told the assembly, "Brothers and sisters, I love this church. I love you. We have a lot of work to do, and I know that our dedication and our commitment to each other and our hard work will make the ELCA what God wants us to be."

Services will be held Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021, 11 am, at Calvary Church, 110 McMullen Booth Rd., Clearwater, FL 33759. Masks are required, and social distancing will be encouraged. The service will be livestreamed here: https://streamedevents.online.church/

Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton wrote to the church, “With much sadness and shock I share with you the news of the sudden passing of Bill Horne, my friend and Vice President of the ELCA. He died Saturday afternoon of a suspected heart attack, according to the city press release. Please join me in praying for his wife Loretta and the rest of his family during this difficult time. We will always remember Bill as a faithful servant of God.” Read more about the life of Bill Horne in this Living Lutheran article after his election or at ELCA.org.

The information below was taken from a news article from Clearwater, Florida:

Horne, 72, served as city manager for more than two decades and was looking forward to his retirement on September 3. He began his career with the city in 1998 as general support services administrator. The next year, he became assistant city manager. In July 2000, he was named interim city manager and then became city manager the following year.

"Yesterday we lost a patriot, mentor, leader, public servant, veteran and role model. I lost my friend," said Mayor Frank Hibbard. "Our community was richer for having Bill Horne and today we are poorer for having lost him. His impact in Clearwater and beyond will live on tangibly and in our hearts. Rest in peace, my friend.” Hibbard said their thoughts are with Horne's wife, Loretta, and other members of his family.

As city manager, Horne was one of two city staff members who reported directly to the city council. He was responsible for 1,685 city employees and accountable for the city's annual operating and capital budget of $385 million.

Horne earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Tulsa, a master's degree in human resources management from Pepperdine University and a master's degree in political science from Auburn University.

A longtime member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Clearwater, Horne served as a member of the Florida-Bahamas Synod Council for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and held various leadership positions with the ELCA during the past two decades.