Gaylen "Sonny" Horinek

Gaylen “Sonny” William Horinek, Jr., 63, of Atwood, died Sunday, January 14, 2024, at the Rawlins County Hospital, in Atwood. He was born July 16, 1960, to Gaylen, Sr. and Ellen Horinek. Sonny was a truck driver for Finley Construction. Some of his hobbies were building model airplanes and working on cars. He was known to paint his Nova in the backyard every couple of years. It was a special baby blue he mixed himself, so no other car matched it. Sonny was meticulous when it came to building or assembling things. He once built his daughters a boxcar for a boxcar race in Bird City, KS. While several others were thrown together, Sonny made sure his girls had breaks, proper steering and a good paint job. He also enjoyed flying with his brothers, taking drives in the country and spending time in nature. Sonny loved interacting with small creatures.

He is survived by his parents; significant other, Nyla Mendenhall; daughters, Whitney, Courtney and Brittnay (James) Richardson; brothers, David, Steve and Troy; sisters, Kelly, Mary and Kim; and nine grandchildren.

A joint service for Gaylen Horinek, Sr., and Gaylen "Sonny" Horinek, Jr., will take place. Visitation is from 5-7:00 p.m. Thursday, February 1, 2024 at Baalmann Mortuary, Atwood. The funeral service will take place Friday, February 2, 2024, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Atwood, at 10:00 a.m., with a Rosary prior at 9:30 a.m. Burial for Gaylen Sr. will be in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Atwood, followed by burial for Sonny in Fairview Cemetery, Atwood. Memorials may be made to the Rawlins County Food Pantry and sent in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, KS 67701. For information or condolences visit baalmannmortuary.com