Mavis Horner, 90, passed away Tuesday afternoon at Sunrise Senior Living in Severna Park.

She was born Mavis Lillian Cooper on May 3, 1920, on a farm near the small town of Berlin in southern Georgia. She was the 13th of 14 children.

She attended elementary school and high school in Pavo, Georgia, and went on to earn a degree from Georgia Southwestern College. She started her career as a teacher but left that profession in 1944 and joined the war effort by working at an Air Force base in Georgia. She went on to work for a railroad In Macon.

In 1946, she met Robert M. Horner, a young FBI agent. He always said that he "lost his heart" to her immediately and started to court her. They were married on May 24, 1947 in Portola Valley, California, near his home town of San Francisco where he was stationed.

In 1948 she moved to the Washington D.C. area when her husband was transferred there with the FBI. They lived in in Alexandria and Arlington for a few years, and then moved to the Bailey's Crossroads area where they lived until 1979.

She had three children. Robert (Jr.) Thomas and Margaret. She was a wonderful mother, and devoted her life to making a wonderful life for her husband and children.

Her children survive her, as do Dave Becker, Margaret's husband; Jeanee von Essen Horner, Robert's wife; grandchildren Hugh Horner , Jesse Horner and John Becker, and great-granddaughter Ruby Horner. Her dear sisters, Bernice Cooper and Agnes Reichert, also survive, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

The Horners moved to Franklin Manor near Churchton in 1979. They had a home looking out over the Chesapeake Bay and they loved to enjoy the view together. Mrs. Horner was an avid gardener and spent many happy hours in the yard .
She was also an accomplished seamstress and needlecrafter.

Mrs. Horner and her husband enjoyed a long retirement, with several trips to Ireland. They took great joy in their shorter trips in the local area as well.

They were supporters of the Anne Arundel County Food Bank, and the family welcomes donations to the organization in Mrs. Horner's name.
She was a member of the Methodist Church starting at the age of 12, and most recently the Oakland Methodist Church in Churchton.

Her family wishes to thank her devoted caregivers Arlena Barnes and Betty Brown and the staff at Sunrise of Severna Park.

She was buried Friday October 15, 2010 alongside her husband at Our Lady of Sorrows Church Cemetery in West River, MD