Oral E. Horton's Obituary
Oral Edward Horton was born in Sand Springs, OK on Dec. 4, 1931 to John Wesley Horton and Pearl Etta (Thornbrugh) Horton and took his last breath on earth to be forever in the arms of his Lord and Savior and his precious wife on Wednesday, April 20, 2016. He has one brother, George “Duge” Horton and four sisters, Mary Etta, Edith, Rosie and LaHoma. He graduated from Sand Springs High School in 1949 and went on to receive a two year degree from Oklahoma School of Accounting and Law in 1951. He enlisted in the Navy on Jan. 10, 1952 and served in the reserves for the next seven years. He said he worked “umpteen” jobs from the time he was 12 yrs old. He served as vice president over plant and production at Ventaire Corporation for 43 years. He retired at the age of 59. While reading through daddy’s planned wishes for his funeral, there was a section marked: Personal Accomplishments. I think most men would list their rewards or successes. Our daddy had written two things: 1) Ordained deacon – 1958 and 2) Soul winner. That pretty much captures his heart, his passion and his desires. He knew the importance of laying up for yourselves treasures in Heaven and not on earth. Oral met Jane Pierson at a youth hamburger social at Allen Freewill Baptist Church in 1948. They were married two years later on March 31, 1950. They were blessed with three children, six grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. Their oldest is Ronda and she is married to Harold Ray Wells. They have two sons and six grandchildren. Matt and Maria have three children, Lilli, Lauren Jane and Jake. Mikey and his wife Annie have three children: Tyler, Tatum and Kloey. Oral and Jane have one son, Joel. He is married to Judy and they have two children: their daughter, Lindsey and a son Layne and his wife Beth. Their youngest daughter, Becky, is married to Mike Johnson and they have two sons and three grandchildren. Beau is married to Sara and they have a son , Jaxon. Taryn is married to Taylor and they have one son, Kaden and one daughter, Ryleigh Jane. Our mom was sick for about the last 25 yrs of her life and received a liver transplant in 1993. She lived 17 years after the transplant. We mention this only because of the impact it has had on our lives as we witnessed our daddy’s unending love and commitment to our mom as he cared for her throughout these years. After our mom passed away 6 years ago, a part of our daddy went with her. We never saw a twinkle in his eyes anymore and his smiles were faint and rare from that point on. Life was never the name for him – something was missing, he wasn’t settled or complete without our mom by his side. As daddy began to get weaker and we would tuck him into bed he would say to us, “I just don’t sleep well in this bed by myself.” Yet he refused to hear of changing beds. After daddy retired, they moved to Gore, OK and immediately became active in that community. They attended First Baptist Church, Webber Falls. They loved gardening, fishing, enjoying nature and the wildlife of country living, reading, and ministering to anyone God brought into their lives including hurt or stray animals. Dad didn’t mind taking care of the abandoned pets as long as mom did not let them in the house. Mom loved to quilt and dad would take her all over that part of OK to attend classes or shop at a newly discovered quilt shop. Mom was always dreaming and planning for another flower garden and dad would make sure that wish came true. We all loved going to Gore to spend time with mom and dad. And, as most children do, we now regret not going more often. When you went to spend time with them, you knew you would be fed well, you would stay up late playing Wahoo and you would most definitely go fishing. There was always a bonfire and if the season was right, you could count on having to kill at least one copperhead. The night before daddy died, the grandchildren were in his room with us and there were several reenactments of copperhead sightings and killings. Priceless! Growing up, our home was Christ centered and family was a priority. I already mentioned watching our parents’ love and commitment to each other. But there was also a deep love for God and a desire to live for him and then pass that faith on to others. Joel, Becky and I had several hours to spend alone with each other and our sweet daddy the last couple of days of his life. We spent this time singing to him, praying together and sharing things with him that we had learned from his heart and walk with God. We never, ever, doubted the existence of God and we were taught of His amazing love for us. Every morning as we would come to the breakfast table, the Bible would be opened to the daily reading for that day. We teased daddy and told him he was just making sure we could check the box marked; Daily Bible Readings on our offering envelope. The foundations of our faith were established during these years. The principles and precepts in God’s word were learned and strongly encouraged to be followed and applied. And our personal acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior was sealed. As an adult you have the vantage point of looking back over your life and tracing God’s hand and heart at work. He placed us in this loving, crazy, fun family. It was another aspect of His love and plan for us in order to establish a relationship with us. All of this to continue on the spiritual legacy they began to the next generation. As we watched our children, (Jane and Oral’s grandchildren) and other family members share story after story of their own personal memories of our parents – the healing began for us. This time of sorrow began to be graced with joy. Stories of wienie roasts, campfires, the reading of a favorite book, playing games, countless fishing trips, vacations, holiday traditions, and birthday celebrations began to emerge. Even stories of discipline and the ‘dreaded wooden spoon’ were shared and brought laughter into our lives. Mom and dad showed us through their interactions with us what was important in life and that was a deep faith in God and commitment to family – in that order. Saying goodbye to a loved one is hard, even if they are a believer and there is certain hope for a resurrection and eternity. Yet there is peace – amazing, comforting, grace-filled peace. To know that ALL is in God’s hand, heart, and timing. He predestined our birth, our salvation, and our death. Nothing is hidden from Him. There is a line in the song, “In Christ Alone,” that always calms my heart and spirit: “From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.” We are eternally grateful for you and your love for each of us, for our daddy and most importantly for our Father in Heaven who placed all of us in the heart and life of this incredible man. Sorrowful yet always rejoicing, Ronda, Joel and Becky If you would care to share any special memory or story of our precious daddy, we, as a family, will read them and cherish them and they will be used as part of our healing as we celebrate Oral’s life with you..Funeral Service 10:00 a.m.Monday, April 25, 2016 at First Baptist Church in Sapulpa, OK.
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