John R. Horne, Jr., DMD of Derry, NH, formerly of Malden, MA and Lynn, MA, a dentist in Malden for 52 years and chairman of the Malden Board of Health for 25 years, passed away on February 4th peacefully at home after a long illness.
John was born on July 30th, 1931 in Lynn, MA and was the son of the late John R. Horne, Sr. and Katherine (Dewey) Horne. As a child, he was active in the Boy Scouts of America and earned the rank of Eagle Scout at an early age. He spent summers at Camp PowWow in Amesbury, MA as a camper, councilor and waterfront director.
John attended Lynn Classical High School, graduating in the Class of 1949 and was a member of the 1947 championship football team.
He entered Dartmouth College with the Class of 1953, where he was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. While at Dartmouth, the Korean Conflict began, and he was granted a leave of absence from the college to enlist in the United States Army where he served 2 years. After basic training, while fully expecting to be assigned to the infantry, he was unexpectedly assigned to be trained as a dental assistant. This assignment would shape the rest of his life and he served the remainder of his enlistment helping to care for troops at a US Military Hospital in Japan.
While home between his discharge from the Army and returning to Dartmouth, he met Jean A. Bourque of Malden, MA, who would become the love of his life. The couple were married on June 17th, 1956. He and his new bride moved to Hanover, NH where he completed his undergraduate education at Dartmouth and was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in Botany and Jean was awarded her PHT (putting husband through!) degree. After Dartmouth, John was accepted into the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine where he graduated as a Doctor of Dental Medicine in 1961.
After graduation, they purchased a home in the west end of Malden, where he established what would become a successful and well-respected dental practice, and the home where they raised their family.
Dr. Horne was very active in the Malden community. He served on many boards and commissions over the years including the Malden Youth Commission, the Malden Recreation Commission and the Malden Chamber of Commerce. He was also appointed to the Malden Board of Health where he served for over 30 years, 25 years of which he served as Chairman of the Board.
John was a loving husband and father who was very supportive of and active in his wife and children’s activities. In his free time, he enjoyed spending time with his family and friends while snowmobiling and skiing throughout the northeast as well as sailing at the Boston Harbor Sailing Club and golfing at the Belleview Golf Club in Melrose, MA, where he and Jean were longtime members. He was also a longtime member of the Moultonborough and Baker River Valley Snowmobile Clubs in New Hampshire, George Page’s Colonial Health Club, Malden Kiwanis Club and Malden American Legion Post 69.
Dr. Horne was the loving husband of Jean A. (Bourque) Horne, who preceded him in death. He leaves behind his two beloved children, his son, John III and his wife Kathleen M. and his daughter Andrea. He was the loving brother of the late James T. Horne and his wife Dianna. Dr. Horne is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
The funeral will be held from the A. J. Spadafora Funeral Home, 865 Main Street, Malden on Wednesday, February 9th at 9am followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in the Immaculate Conception Church, 600 Pleasant Street, Malden at 10am. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. The family will receive friends during visitation hours at the funeral home on Tuesday, February 8th from 5-8pm. Interment will be in Forest Dale cemetery, Malden.
In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Dartmouth Class of 53 To Dartmouth Class of 1953, C/O Richard T. Fleming, Treasurer, 201 Linden Ponds Way, # 601, Hingham, MA 02043-8718.