Fornia Horsley
Age - 97
October 13, 2023
Born in the Spring of 1926, Fornia began her life as the oldest daughter of Robert Blower and Gordon Ferguson in Tallahassee, Florida. Her early years in the Southeast imbued her with a distinct Southern style and grace, which she carried throughout her life. After her sister Elene was born years later, her family journeyed through the South to Texas and then Arizona. The family followed their father's entrepreneurial path as an engineer working on infrastructure projects throughout the country, including the legendary Hoover Dam. This period of frequent moves took place during the Great Depression, and undoubtedly contributed to Formia's grit and her gratitude for the simple pleasures of life. Ultimately, her father's work took them to Portland, Oregon, where they settled and remained for the majority of Formia's childhood. Fornia attended Willamette University for college, and after graduating began a career in insurance. It was at her insurance company that she met the love of her life, Paul Horsley, who she went on to live life with for nearly 60 years until his passing in 2017. After their meeting and marriage, Fornia and Paul moved to San Francisco so that Paul could start his journey with Ernst and Ernst. Together they started a family, having a son, Robert John, named for both of their fathers. After a few years in San Francisco, Fornia and Paul eventually moved, following Paul's work, this time to Los Angeles. There, they built a community, raised Robert, and lived happily for several decades. Fornia was energized throughout her life by her friends, family, family dogs, and helping others. She volunteered at her church, in garden clubs, in social clubs, at the local hospitals, and at Robert's schools, including University. In each case, she cared deeply about the people in those communities and often took on leadership roles. Later in life, at the Saratoga Retirement Community, she was known for being an organizer of the annual holiday appreciation party for the staff, many of whom she considered friends, making sure that they were appreciated and took home generous holiday bonuses. She took on the role of chairwoman of the landscaping committee, allowing her to contribute to the community through her lifelong passion for gardening. At family get-togethers, it was not uncommon for her to share the latest reports on the state of landscaping work at SRC and occasional stories of the demise of a beautiful plant at the foot of grazing deer. An important moment in Fornia and Paul's life was making the difficult decision nearly 20 years ago to leave their life in Southern California, to be closer to Robert and his family who were in the Bay Area. They moved to Saratoga, California, into a retirement community just 30 minutes away from Robert and their grandchildren. The decision was very emblematic of Fornia and Paul, and their values. They prioritized being with family, moving themselves to be fully present in their familys' lives rather than asking their family to visit them. As a result, they were able to take part in their grandchildren's daily lives, attend their important and not important events and spent countless brunches, dinners, and holidays together. To her final days Fornia enjoyed very close and individual relationships with Robert, Laura and her grandchildren: RJ, Hunter, Blake and Madison. She spoke with them often, weekly in many cases, tracking what they were up to and following their interests. Fornia even learned what could be described as "moderate proficiency" with Facetime, the Facebook Portal, and text messaging to be in touch as the grandchildren moved to different locations, following their own journeys. Formia's grandchildren have many fond memories of their grandmother, whom they called "Mama", and her many signature particulars: a golden honey bee pendant always on her shoulder, her love of the family dogs (always referred to as "the puppies"), her joy in all things lemon, her wonderful cooking, her boundless collection of mail-order catalogs, her concern with making sure her grandchildren always had enough food (including shipping care packages in the mail), and her concern and recollection of all the things happening in her family's' lives . It was not unusual for Fornia to send a news clipping of a recipe, a wine review, an article on crypto, a gardening tip or a review of a movie to her family. And she was famous among her family for her assiduous tracking of the weather and traffic patterns for the areas where her friends and family live. Fornia was an exceptional wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend. Across the incredible journey of her life, she was always grateful: for every meal she shared, every conversation she had, every flower she grew, and, in her later years, for her mobility and lucidity. She took nothing for granted and always put in the effort. In her 80's Fornia broke her hip, a condition that usually is a road to a slower, less mobile existence. After the surgery, her doctor advised that she would likely need to use a walker for the rest of her life. Formia's response: "That simply is not going to work for me. I need to start moving today, I have a committee meeting tomorrow. " For those that knew Fornia, a response like that was true to all that she was. And indeed, through determination, she recovered from that incident and was able to move again without a walker for many years. Fornia was a woman of determination and also of elegance, always dressed with a sense of class, with her signature skirts, her pearl jewelry, and her impeccably kept hair. Never a day in any other way, until the final days. She wanted to bring her best self to every situation and would persevere through any challenge. Fornia will be missed by friends across a wide swath of generations with whom she formed connections as she extended kindness to all. Her family will miss her most and forever hold cherished memories of their lives together. Now they are on their own to track the local weather and which flowers are in bloom. But the mere thought of the day's forecast or blooming tulips will surely bring a wink of Formia's loving care.Show more
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