Muriel I. (Williams) Hornaday, 88, died of natural causes Tuesday at a local care facility.
Cremation has taken place under the direction of Croxford Funeral Home and Crematory, with private burial of ashes at a later date in Sun River Cemetery.
Muriel will be interred next to her parents, Roger and Bertha Williams.
Survivors include three sisters, Helen (Wayne) Duncan and Roberta (Gabriel) Swan, both of Great Falls, and Marguerite (Leonard) Dahl, of Billings; 12 nieces and nephews; and 18 great-nieces and -nephews.
Muriel's parents homesteaded on the Fairfield Bench in 1918. She was born in Live Oak, California on April 13, 1921. In 1922, the family moved back to the Fairfield Bench.
Muriel attended school through the eighth grade at Crow School. In 1939, she graduated as valedictorian of her class at Simms High School, and received her associate's degree from the college at Havre in 1941. She then went to Washington, D.C., where she worked for five years in the secretarial department of the War Production Board. In July 1946, she moved to Cleveland, Ohio.
On July 2, 1949, she and Lee B. Hornaday were married in Alexandria, Virginia. He was employed by Eastern Airlines after his tour of duty with the U.S. Navy. He passed away in 1977.
Muriel worked for the U.S. Air Force; General Motors from 1950 until 1983; NASA for a time; and later back at General Motors. She also worked for Terax Heavy Equipment, retiring in 1983.
Muriel enjoyed quilting and had belonged to the Quilters Club. She also did handcrafts and reading. She loved music and concerts, and Dixieland jazz. She traveled extensively, including cruises, and made several trips back to Montana throughout her career. In August 1994, she moved to Montana to remain for the rest of her life.
Condolences may be posted online at www.croxfordfuneralhome.com and/or www.gftribune.com/obituaries.
Published in Great Falls Tribune on April 8, 2010
