Headstone dedication to honor beloved Roebling doctor

Headstone courtesy of the Roebling Garden Club

By:Vanessa S. Holt
   ROEBLING — Family and friends of the late Dr. J. Howard Hornberger will gather at the grave of the late Roebling physician this Sunday to dedicate the new headstone recently placed at the site through the efforts of the Roebling Garden Club.
   New residents in the village know the Hornberger name because one of the major thoroughfares, Hornberger Avenue, was named for the doctor.
   Longtime residents remember him personally and many who made donations for the memorial shared their recollections in a 21-page booklet compiled by the Roebling Garden Club.
   Members of the Hornberger family from Florida, Ohio and throughout New Jersey are expected to attend the Sunday afternoon at Cedar Hill Cemetery.
   A wreath of yellow chrysanthemums, the doctor’s favorite flower, will be placed on the Hornberger grave by family members, said Loretta Varga, president of the Roebling Garden Club.
   Dr. Hornberger was a physician for the village of Roebling, the steel mill and township schools from the 1920s until his death.
   The street currently known as Hornberger Avenue was previously named Knickerbocker Avenue but was renamed after the doctor following his death.
   His grave in Cedar Hill Cemetery was marked with only a bronze plaque until the Roebling Garden Club raised close to $1,500 for a memorial stone this year.
   The new granite marker is engraved with a picture of Dr. Hornberger and the phrase, "Dr. J. Howard Hornberger, who served the village of Roebling for 40 years, 1896-1968."
   Dan Roth, a Roebling Garden Club member, will act as master of ceremonies at the dedication on Sunday and an invocation will be led by Helen Bordash, a longtime Roebling resident.
   Councilman Harry Robinson and Mayor Michael Muchowski are scheduled to speak and local historian Lou Borbi and resident Bill McGrath will talk about their memories of Dr. Hornberger and his importance to the community.
   Past president of the N.J. Medical Society and Burlington County Medical Society, Dr. Hornberger was an active member of the Florence Township Chamber of Commerce, past commander of the Willitts-Hogan-Tonne Post American Legion of Roebling, a member of Florence Volunteer Fire Co. No. 2, and many other civic groups and organizations.
   The dedication of the Hornberger memorial will take place beneath a tent at 2 p.m. at Cedar Hill Cemetery on Cedar Lane.
   Seating will be available. A brunch will be held before the ceremony at 11:30 a.m. at the Roebling firehouse, and refreshments will be served directly after the ceremony at the firehouse.
   Loretta Varga can be reached at (609) 499-1160 by anyone who wishes to request a copy of the memorial booklet.