John Hornyak, 85, of Manly died Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at the Muse Norris Inpatient Unit in Mason City.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 am, Saturday, March 4, 2023 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 410 N. Broad St., Manly. Burial will follow in Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery, Manly.
Visitation with viewing will be held Friday evening, March 3, from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm at Bride Colonial Chapel, 110 E. Spring St., Manly.
John Joseph Hornyak was born in Hungary on May 20, 1937. He grew up alongside his brother and sister before immigrating to the United States as a refugee in 1957 at the age of 20. Once he arrived in the United States John moved to central Iowa to live with his sponsor family. While here he began working in a gas station and auto shop.
He met Joyce Buss on a blind date in 1961 in Mason City. The two were united in marriage on February 8, 1964 at Holy Family Catholic Church in Mason City.
For many years John worked for S and R Chevrolet in Mason City as well as Schukei and Reo’s Body Shop before opening his own body shop in Manly. John operated John’s Auto Body in Manly for 27 years before his retirement, at which time he sold the shop to his son, Joe who still owns and operates it to this day as Joe’s Collision and Performance.
John was an avid collector and enjoyed attending auctions all over the area. He particularly enjoyed gun and coin shows where he was always making his next deal. He enjoyed traveling with his friend, Tom Fretty to collect antiques for Tom’s museum.
Following his retirement John drove a school route for Central Springs for many years. He was a proud supporter in his grandson’s wrestling careers and enjoyed cheering on the girls’ softball team in Central Springs.
He was a longtime member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus.
He is survived by his wife, Joyce, of Manly; sons, Joe Hornyak, Manly and Jim (Hope) Hornyak, Waverly; three grandsons, Sam, Alex, and Luke Hornyak; his extended family in Hungary; and his brother and sisters in law, Delores Gamble, Jan Hershey, Marilyn Ellis, Darlene Reynolds, Barb (Dennis) Rogers, Sue (Jake) Jacobson, Wayne (Sue) Buss, and Marie Buss; as well as many nieces, nephews, and extended family.
He is preceded in death by his parents; brother, Steve Hornyak; nephew, Steve Hornyak, Jr.; and brothers in law, Roger Buss, Jeffrey Buss, Russ Hershey, Dean Buss, Gene Buss, Dean Gamble, Don Ellis, and Richard Reynolds; mother and father in law, May and George Buss.
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