Alan Gilbert Horton

Alan G Horton
April 16, 1922 - June 30, 2014
Alan G Horton, 92, of Monmouth died peacefully at home on June 30, 2014.
Alan was born on Easter Sunday April 16, 1922 in San Francisco, CA. His parents, George and Harriet Horton moved around until settling in Chiloquin, Oregon. He graduated from Chiloquin High School and attended University of Santa Clara for two years. He joined the Army Air Corp and served in the Pacific as a B-29 bomber mechanic for 4 years. He married his high school sweetheart, Frances Looseley, in Portland. They settled in San Francisco where Alan worked as an airplane mechanic for United Airlines. They moved back to Oregon in 1954 and he worked with his father-in-law on their cattle ranch in the Airlie area south of Monmouth. He graduated from OSU in Agriculture and soon developed a method for removing straw off the grass seed fields, being the first to do so in the Willamette Valley.
Together with a few neighbors he started the Luckiamute Domestic Water Co-op and managed it until his retirement in 1985. He served on the Polk County Extension Service Advisory Board and was a lifetime member of the Polk County Livestock Association. In 1985 he and wife Fran joined in the Peace Corp and went to Belize were Alan began a Brand Inspection Program. After that they lived in Mexico for a year before moving back to Oregon and living in King City for 10 years and returning full circle to Airlie in 1997.
Alan leaves a wonderful legacy of life through his son, Chris (Joan) Horton, daughter Paula (Darryl) Hines, 4 grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife Frances and daughter Mary Alice.
Burial service is Monday, July 7 at 9:30 am at Smith Cemetery, Monmouth; followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:00 am at St Philip Catholic Church in Dallas, Oregon. Farnstrom Mortuary is handling arrangements. For memories and online condolences, please visit Alan's memorial website at FarnstromMortuary.com. Contributions can be made to Polk County Food Share.