James J. Horney
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of James Jay
Horney, who left us on Sunday, February 4, 2024, in St. Louis, Missouri.
Born January 18, 1965, in Monmouth, Illinois Jay grew up in Roseville,
Illinois. He is preceded in death by his father, Wendell Sloan Horney, and
mother Mary Francis (Hall) Horney and great-niece Sloane Kay Cantwell.
He is survived by his son Alexander James Horney Brasseur and Alex’s
partner, Noni Meredith of St. Louis, Missouri. He is also survived by his
sister, Christine (Tom) Cantwell of Clermont, Florida and brother Richard
Hornay of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Jay was also loved by his nieces, nephews & extended family; Rachel
Hornay of Denver, CO; Drew, Megan, Tripp, Miller and Kyle Cantwell of
Baton Rouge, LA; Emily Hornay & Kyle Kalevik of Tulsa, OK; Hunter
Hornay of Portland, ME and Alex’s mother, Cindy Brasseur of St. Louis,
MO.
Jay befriended thousands of people over the years as manager of Van’s
Tavern in Kirkwood, MO. His friendship was treasured by countless folks,
who will keep his iconic memory alive.
He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, but his love and legacy will
live on in our hearts forever.
A celebration of Jay’s life will be scheduled at a later date.
This is a hard time and I hope my shared story will remind you that you’re not alone in your grief. I have countless memories of the fun adventures from growing up with Jay in Swan Creek and throughout high school. After our HS friend group graduated and we started our lives in different places we lost touch. Then one day I walked into a one of our favorite restaurants in St Louis with my family to find Jay working. It was so fun catching up. Then every time we returned he always made time for us, even when he was so busy working. I can still see in my memories that great slight smile. He was great at making people feel seen and he will truly be missed.
Lisa,
Thank you so much for your kind words.
Jay will be missed and we cherish these comments and memories. Chris
My condolences to your family. I attended HS with his parents. Wendell played sports when my father was the coach in Roseville. Prayers and peace at this time.
Pat Tinker Patnode
So sorry to read this. Prayers for the family.
Jay & I grew up together & I had known him my entire life. We knew each other extremely well. We could be in a room full of people & look at each other & know what the other was thinking. Jay will be greatly missed. My deepest condolences to the family.
To all of Jay’s family, I am so sorry for you loss. Jay was a very sweet and caring person. Keep your memories close to your heart.
So sorry for your loss! Gone too soon!
So so sad to hear this. I grew up with Jay from kindergarten on through high school. I lost track of him after high school as our lives became quite different and busy. I will always cherish my memories of him. Sending my deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Jay (dad would say JJ) I sure will miss you. All those late nights at your mom and dad’s and climbing out your window! I will always cherish our time when we were young. Your mom making me Cocoa Wheat in the mornings, to riding bikes EVERYWHERE, swimming at Kirk’s, and you helping me learn gymnastics. Hugs to you my forever friend. Love you!
So sorry for the family’s loss. So young. Jay was young than me but I know the familyband worked with his Mom Mary at LaMoine Christian Nursing Home years ago
Jay was a unique awesome loving empathetic person. One of a kind. He should have had more years. Everyone wishes they could have spent more time with him. He helped me so much. It is lonely without him and the bar/hotel won’t be the same. I am glad he is at peace. but selfishly wish he were still here. Alex and his mother are amazing people and my heart goes to them.
❤️❤️❤️ Jay. I’m so sorry I wasn’t stronger to protect u. I’ll always love u💙💙💙💙💙💙
I was so sorry to hear about Jay. We had lots of fun memories during our school years in Roseville. Sending my condolences to his family & friends.
So very sorry to hear of Jay’s passing. I enjoyed many evenings at Vans with him. He was a lovely man.
My husband and I are heartbroken after just learning of Jays passing. We were frequent customers of Jays at Vans when we lived in Missouri. We moved to Illinois a few years ago and didn’t get to visit him as much as when we lived in Missouri. Jay always made us feel welcome and he remembered everything you told him about anything. He always took time for his customers and cared so much about what you had to say. I remember telling him once he had the memory the size of an elephant and he said I only remember stories and things about people I like and care about. That’s the kind of person he was. He always made you feel important and he cared so much about others. He and my husband had good times usually always making fun of me in some way. My stories were very long and detailed just like this post but Jay always listened to them intently. We are going to miss you so much my dear friend. We never got to say goodbye. But just know you were loved and cared for as much as you loved others.