William F. Hornick

William Foster Hornick passed away on June 5, 2026, in Clarksville, New York at the age of 80. He was the son of Joseph Stephen Hornick and Cecilia Bernadette Aton Hornick. He was born in his childhood home in Ashley, Pennsylvania during a significant snowstorm. He was named for his maternal grandfather, William Foster Aton.

He was a graduate of Wyoming Memorial High School in Pennsylvania at the top of his class. At Wyoming, he formed many friendships which lasted his entire life. William attended King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He graduated from King’s College in 1967 with a Bachelors of Arts in French/Education.

William taught French and English at Romulus Central School in New York from 1967-1968. It was during that time that he met his future wife, Marie Funicello, an English teacher at another Finger Lakes area high school. William went on to work for General Mercantile Industries in New York City as an investigator before his marriage in 1971. Following a short stay at Korvettes in Colonie, he went to work as a consultant for the former Institute on Man and Science, in Rensselaerville, New York. At the Institute on Man and Science he would hold the positions of Director of Special Projects, planning the summer seminars and Senior Research Associate. He wrote and edited numerous reports, studies and books on a wide range of topics.

In 1983, William returned to teaching and earned his Master’s Degree at the University at Albany. In 1985, he was hired by LaSalle Institute in Troy. During his tenure, he taught seven and sometimes eight levels of French. In 2001, he was named Chair of the Foreign Language Department. While teaching, he published articles on teaching second languages to students with dyslexia, presented at conferences, and earned a scholarship to study at the University of Montreal. He was often recognized by his students and was selected multiple times by the class valedictorian as the most influential teacher. He was always grateful for the letters and visits from former students sharing their accomplishments with him.

Upon his retirement in 2008, William became active in various historical associations. He also kept a promise to himself to return to the hobby of collecting Modern Library editions of classic books. William made numerous contributions and discoveries to the Modern Library’s collector’s website. His collection totals 3,300 books, a third of which are first editions. William often told his students, “The universe is infinite in every direction; choose one.” William attempted to choose them all.

William was predeceased by his parents, his brother John and his wife Nancy, his brother Joseph and his wife Jerri, his sister Sharron, his beloved goddaughter Deborah and his cherished wife of 50 years, Marie Funicello Hornick. He is survived by his son, Daniel and his partner Shannon and their family, Sierra and Elizabeth and great-granddaughter Alara and his son, Adam and his wife Jennifer and the joys of his heart, his grandchildren Brian and Jillian. William asked that his obituary note the boundless pride and infinite respect for Daniel’s and Adam’s character and achievements. The family would also like to extend their most sincere gratitude to the dedicated and compassionate team of the St. Peter’s Hospital Hospice Unit who cared for William in his final days.

Calling hours will be held on Monday, June 8, 2026, from 4PM to 7PM at Applebee Funeral Home, 403 Kenwood Avenue, Delmar. Interment at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in New Salem will be private at the convenience of the family.

In lieu of flowers, contributions are suggested in his memory to LaSalle Institute, 174 Williams Road, Troy, NY 12180 or the Onesquethaw Volunteer Fire Company Rescue Squad, PO Box A Clarksville, NY 12041.