Craig Stuart Horne

The Horne family is sad to announce the passing of Craig, a beloved son, husband, father, friend, mentor, and fierce fighter.

Craig Stuart Horne was born August 7, 1959 in Pakistan. At three weeks old, he contracted malaria and was given 8 hours to live. He exceeded that by 63 years and 11 months. He died July 23, 2023 in Billings, Montana after a lengthy battle with cancer.

He is predeceased by his father, Gregory Horne, and sister, Melinda Horne. He is survived by his wife, Mary Horne; three daughters, Elizabeth, Melinda, and Sara Horne; mother, Carolyn Horne; and his soon-to-be-born grandson Griffin Craig Horne George.

Craig grew up traveling the world with his family, but his favorite place was the Grand Canyon. Upon graduating high school in Connecticut, he moved out west and earned a Bachelor of Science in geology and Master of Science in watershed science from Utah State University.

He met Mary while working on his master’s. They married in 1989 on her family’s farm in Montana and moved to Pennsylvania together where they had three daughters. In 2001, they moved to Idaho, where Craig enjoyed hiking, camping, and skiing with his family. They moved to Montana in 2014 to be closer to family. Craig and Mary had been married nearly 34 years.

He spent his career as a hydrogeologist in the environmental consulting field. Craig was a big picture thinker and excelled at business development. He was articulate and decisive, with a booming voice and analytical mind. Despite being a natural leader, Craig preferred field work and being outside. In his career, he was most fulfilled by the work he did for the Army Corps of Engineers developing water wells for military bases across Afghanistan.

Craig’s proudest accomplishment was raising his three daughters and giving them the tools they needed to succeed. He was very excited to meet his grandson. Craig will be greatly missed.

The family is holding a private memorial at their home on August 5th.