John Arthur Horneff

John Arthur Horneff MD of Charlottesville died on March 24, 2023 from complications of metastatic colorectal cancer and its treatment. He was the loving and beloved husband of Christine Peterson MD for 45 years. He was born on January 13, 1949 in Camden NJ to J. Arthur Horneff MD and Sonya (Kochan) Horneff. His parents and sister, Miriam Horneff, predeceased him. John was a scholar athlete at Swarthmore High School in Swarthmore PA. He graduated from Brown University in 1971 and obtained his MD degree from Brown in 1975 as a member of the "Charter Twelve" first graduating class of medical students. He completed residencies in anatomic pathology at the University of Chicago and in internal medicine at Northwestern University, and a fellowship in clinical oncology at the National Cancer Institute. A conscientious and principled medical scientist, Dr. Horneff became disillusioned by experiences with specific individuals and systems in academic medicine and decided to pursue his other great love, photography. As an independent thinker and a creative photographer, he was drawn to seeing ideas and objects unconventionally. He particularly enjoyed finding obscure visual features and relationships in the natural and human-built worlds and creating new images based on but not anchored to conventional ways of seeing. Similarly, he was an avid follower of current events, constantly connecting them to historical precedent to compare and contrast personalities and events in an effort to understand historical and political movements. He also loved chess, the five border collies that sequentially brought joy over many years, clever political cartoons, shortcuts in the kitchen (particularly if they involved countertop appliances), and solving household problems by "fixing things". Or maybe it was taking things apart that he really loved... A loyal friend to a select few; a brilliant, trusted, and playful life partner to Chris; and a gifted photographic artist, he left us all too soon. His cremains will be interred in his father's grave in Harleigh Cemetery in Camden, NJ. A celebration of his life will be held later this spring. Heartfelt thanks are offered to the skilled and compassionate professionals who provided superb care in his last illness: the teams at the UVA Cancer Center led by Dr. Le (especially Michelle!), Dr. Friel, Dr. Tsung, and Dr. Iqbal; and the Hospice of the Piedmont. Those who wish are invited to make a contribution in John's memory to those organizations or to a charitable organization that feeds the hungry or shelters those who are without shelter. An online guestbook is available at www.compassionatecremationva.com Compassionate Cremation Services of Ruckersville, VA is handling the arrangements

John Arthur Horneff

January 13, 1949 - March 24, 2023