Profile: Harriet Horner
...SJA's Hospitality Coordinator
Four years ago I joined the choir with anticipation. Sitting next to me was another newcomer, with just as much anticipation. She was Harriet Horner and we quickly bonded in our questioning of "qualifications" to become members of the choir. We shared our anxieties and sat back for our first experiences as novices. Little did we know we had nothing to fear. We were assured that ALL who wish to accompany this multi-talented group are "welcome". Thus began my friendship with Harriet Horner.
Many of you might recognize Harriet for she is the parish Hospitality
Coordinator. She assists with funerals, all musical events and
functions, and helps Echo Thoren with weddings. She has a huge role in making
things run smoothly. Hers is a part of the large web of jobs at
SJA. Her duties include gathering volunteers to help with food & table setup, hosting, serving, and clean up . Whereever
there is a need she is called upon.
Those who know Harriet know that she is always ready and completely committed in her life, both with SJA and her family. They don't come any sweeter than Harriet. She has a long history as a parish member for some 30 years. She and her husband George started attending SJA when their children were young and their neighboring church was not accommodating to children. They found St. Joans to be a very comfortable fit. They started their ministry by volunteering in the nursery and teaching Sunday school.
Harriet is from SouthEast Minneapolis. She grew up right across the street from old St. Mary's Hospital, now Fairview University. She remembers a youth full of days playing in Riverside Park. She used to ice skate there in the winters and go to the summer band shell concerts to listen to music. She attended Monroe and St. Elizabeth grade schools and South High School. Harriet has two sisters, Rosemary and Maggie, and a brother Wally who was killed in Vietnam. She went into nursing and worked at St. Mary's Hospital. While there she met George through mutual friends. They hit it off, and as she puts it: "We've been dating every weekend for the last 37 years!" Harriet and George married and had 3 daughters: Kathy, Gretchen and Karen. They settled in a home, and it has been home for 30 years now, on 49th and Newton Ave. So..
With her children in grade and high school, Harriet ran the famous Horner's Pizza on W. 50th & Xerxes Ave.. It turned out to be an ideal place for teenagers to hang out, plus an opportunity for her children and their friends to earn spending and college money. Harriet’s friends, Kathy & Bill Milotta, declared Friday nights as "Parents Night" and teased the kids with a "No Kids Allowed" slogan. The 6 years in the restaurant business were successful. And with that experience, came the tremendous skill it takes to coordinate the hospitality area at SJA! She does admit the years in the pizza shop took a toll on her body. Six more years were served in the business world and she now works with her husband George in sales in addition to her part-time job at SJA as Hospitality Coordinator.
If you ever happen to catch Harriet around her family you would be an eyewitness to a most dedicated woman. She glows with love and pride for them all. She has 4 grandchildren: Cameron, Kyle and Eleanor who are all SJA members. And Henry lives in London. Her special sons-in-law are Tim Munshower and Mike Bransford.
I believe it's pretty clear how fortunate WE are to have Harriet working for us. She is humble in every way and has the patience of a saint. We are exceptionally lucky and MOST thankful, Harriet!....... Oh, a couple footnotes to make:
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