Mary Ann Horenberger

Mary Ann Hornberger '38 Dies at 87

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (March 9, 2004) — Mary Ann Horenberger, the widow of former Illinois Wesleyan University athletic director Jack Horenberger, died Tuesday, March 9. She was 87.

Her funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Holy Trinity Church, Bloomington, with the Rev. Monsignor Mark Williams officiating. Burial will be at East Lawn Memorial Gardens, Bloomington. Visitation will be from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Carmody-Flynn Williamsburg Funeral Home, Bloomington, and from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Holy Trinity Church.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Central Catholic High School Athletic Department or to the Jack Horenberger Scholarship Fund at Illinois Wesleyan University.

The former Mary Ann Costello was a 1938 IWU graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in French. Her father, James Costello, was a 1904 IWU Law School graduate and former fullback on the football team. Mary Ann's brother, also James, graduated from Illinois Wesleyan in 1939 with his wife, Lois L. Meeker Costello.

The Horenbergers met when Mary Ann was a sophomore at IWU in 1935-36 and were married May 31, 1941. They were parents of two daughters — Jane Ann Ehretsman '65 of Cleveland, Ohio, and Jill Horenberger '69 of Mays Landing, N.J. Mary Ann is also survived by two grandsons and three granddaughters.

Mary Ann Horenberger was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and was involved in many IWU alumni activities, including serving as a phonothon volunteer and as a Class Agent.

Jack Horenberger '36 was IWU's basketball coach from 1945-65 and coached baseball from 1942-81. He was athletic director from 1947 until his retirement in 1981. In April 1999, the newly-constructed baseball field at IWU was christened the Jack Horenberger Baseball Field. Coach, as he was widely known, died December 1, 2000.

Survivors include two daughters, Jane Ann Ehretsman, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and Jill Horenberger, Mays Landing, N.J.; five grandchildren, Jack and Steven Ehretsman; and Rosa, Roxana and Mara Lee Horenberger; one great-granddaughter, Mariely Horenberger; one sister-in-law; two nephews; and six nieces. One brother, James J. Costello, preceded her in death.

(Some information included is from The Pantagraph's obituary.)