Dr. Henry Joseph " Joe " Horacek Jr., MD

Dr. Henry Joseph “Joe” Horacek, Jr., MD passed away suddenly in his home on September 8th, 2026 at the age of 75. He was born on July 14th, 1951 to Ruby Lee Garrison and Henry Joseph Horacek Sr. in Walnut Creek, California. He attended the University of California at Berkeley where he received a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology. He then completed medical school and psychiatry residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as well completing a fellowship in child psychiatry at Duke. Joe spent 27 years in private practice specializing in child and adolescent neuropsychiatry during which he changed the lives of thousands of children and was a strong advocate for children with learning disabilities.

Joe was a skilled guitarist and could play his guitar for hours without playing the same song twice. He was an avid gold miner and spent many weekends in the nearby creeks panning for gold. Joe was also a devoted father and instilled in his children a thirst for adventure and profound curiosity for the world and everything in it. Additionally, Joe Horacek was a published author. He wrote the non-fiction book “Brainstorms” and the historical fiction trilogy “Merchant of Arimathea.” He also wrote various biomedical papers which were published in peer-reviewed journals. Joe is survived by his sisters Kathy and Peggy; his children Kristina, Joseph, Christopher, and Emily; and his grandchildren Aiden and Anya. Joe will be deeply missed and remembered fondly by his friends, family, and all who knew him.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, September 12th at 3pm at Hankins and Whittington funeral home on East Blvd. Visitation will be held an hour prior at 2pm.

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” – Mark Twain

“I could not, at any age, be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life” – Eleanor Roosevelt