Horace M. Raynor died this morning at his home here after a long illness.  He was 78 years of age and all of his long life had been spent in this vicinity.  A wife, one son, Scott E. Raynor, and two grandchildren survive him.

    Mr. Raynor received his early education in the district school here, and at the age of 17 went to sea for a number of years, sailing on both coastwise and deep-sea vessels.  He visited many foreign ports and was a close student of life and customs in lands overseas, as well as navigation and the creatures inhabiting the ocean.  He became an expert navigator and was thoroughly familiar with the handling of both fore-and-aft and square rigged vessels.  After serving as chief officer for a number of years he quit the sea and engaged in fishing and other employment in the waters of Long Island.

    He had a fondness for hunting and was an authority on the habits of all the native animals.  His services were always in great demand as guide for visiting hunters and fishermen, and city dwellers who came here greatly enjoyed a trip after fish or game with Mr. Raynor in charge of the expedition.  He possessed a fund of anecdotes and a keen sense of humor and was a delightful companion.  He was "Uncle Horace" to a host of friends and was greatly beloved by all who knew him.

    He was an omnivorous reader and had a retentive memory, and was thus enabled very largely to supplement his early education.  For many years he was local reporter for a number of Metropolitan papers including the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and his reportorial work was characterized always by the greatest accuracy, while his news stories were written in purest English.

    He was a Democrat in politics and a Presbyterian by religious faith.  He had been for 40 years a consistent member of the local church.  He had served as one of the Town Assessors and gave to those duties the same conscientious care that inspired everything he undertook.

[The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, New York, Monday, May 17, 1920]