Barbara Jo Horak

Barbara Creamer Horak, 86, went to heaven on April 14, 2026. Barbara was born in Brady, Texas, on August 13, 1939, to Wardell Howard Creamer and Helen Cusick Creamer. In 1950, when Barbara was in fifth grade, the family packed up and moved to El Paso for her father to open the El Paso Automotive Supply store on Texas Avenue.

During her younger years, she enjoyed summers with her family on Williams Creek near Pagosa Springs, CO, camping, hunting, fishing, and horseback riding. A lifelong love of the outdoors was born.

1955 was a big year for Barbara. She was given Champayne, a horse of her own, enjoyed being a Majorette at Austin High School, and had her first date with Charlie hunting for arrowheads in the desert outside of El Paso.

Barbara graduated in 1957 from Austin High School and was engaged to Charlie on graduation night. Barbara and Charlie were married in 1959, and after his college graduation in 1962, they spent several years in the Army, which took them to Virgina and Alaska before returning home to El Paso in 1964 with their first child, six-week-old Charles III. Their family continued to grow as David arrived in 1966 and Sharon in 1967.

After high school, Barbara attended Texas Western College, graduating in 1967 in the first class of the newly named UTEP with a Bachelor of Business Administration. She passed the CPA exam, and the accounting industry didn’t seem to know what to do with her at a time when there were few women CPAs, much less pregnant ones!

In 1976 Charlie and Barbara took a bold step and created C.J. Horak Construction, Inc., which provided for their livelihood and was a true working partnership.

In the ensuing years, Barbara wrote her first book, Getting from Paycheck to Paycheck: Simply, as well as several magazine and newspaper articles.

With her own children out of the house, the 1990s brought transitions, new opportunities, and a renewed focus on others. Barbara and Charlie became missionaries, leading numerous trips to villages in Northern Mexico, enriching lives, sharing the gospel, and building lifelong friendships. Barbara was instrumental in planning and executing these arduous trips to rural areas with no electricity or clean water.

In 1991, Barbara was convicted about the humanity of the unborn and began volunteering with the Crisis Pregnancy Center (now the Pregnancy and Fatherhood Solutions Center). Her encounters culminated in her book Real Abortion Stories, which became an Amazon best seller on May 16, 2007. Always pushing herself outside her comfort zone and realizing the need to talk to youth before they were pregnant, she created Strive for the Best and spent 18 years giving over 500 presentations to over 19,000 students in schools encouraging sexual abstinence.

In 1996, the first of many Grandkids Camps was born, with just two grandkids. Thereafter, each new grandchild was added to the invitation list, “once they were potty trained.” Barbara and Charlie entertained their grandchildren each summer in Ruidoso, teaching them how to build forts, whittle, fish, help their neighbors, and enjoy the outdoors. These weeks included a lot of Rice Krispies Treats, which were one of Barbara’s favorite snacks.

In 2006, at the age of 65, Barbara and Charlie decided to try their hand at ranching. They spent many days enjoying the Double H Ranch and learning about cattle, together. Barbara enjoyed rounding up the cattle by sitting on the tailgate of a slow-moving truck and singing to them. The cattle would follow her anywhere. She said it was her singing, but it may have been the treats she was throwing to them.

All her life, Barbara loved El Paso! Over the years she was very active in the community. When her children were young, you could find her at PTA meetings, helping in the schools, or leading Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts. Later, she was a member of the Woman's Department of the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce and served as Chairman-Director in 1995. Barbara also served on the Board of Thomason Hospital (now University Medical Center) in the early 1990s. She had a heart to serve, always putting others before herself.

When age reduced their travel and the field of their missions, Barbara and Charlie ministered to countless international students at UTEP and began the International Student Ministry at First Baptist Church of El Paso where they have been active members for 26 years.

Barbara led an adventurous and full life and believed nothing she did was as important as telling others about Jesus. She shared her faith with everyone, and she would train many others to do the same. Her last online purchase was for Bibles.

When the size of her world shrank to the walls of her own house, she openly shared her love with the numerous caregivers which came to her in her final year.

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Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, Wardell and Helen Creamer, her brother, Howard Creamer, and her sister, Wanda Creamer, as well as her parent-in-laws, Charles Horak, Sr. and Thelma Horak and her sister-in-law, Tracie Kelley.

Barbara is survived by her husband, Charles Horak, Jr; her sister-in-law, Linda Creamer; her children Charles Horak III and wife, Ann; David Horak and wife Anne; and Sharon Mathes and husband Tim. Barbara is also survived by nine grandchildren: Connor and wife Christian, Katherine, Austin, Richard, Jacob and wife Lindsey, Parker, Rachel, Hannah, and Joseph, and three great grandchildren, Olivia, Avery, and Emma, as well as nephew Will Kelley and niece Terri Lutrick.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial Contributions may be made to the Pregnancy and Fatherhood Solutions Center (3565 N. Lee Trevino). Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 24, 2026, at First Baptist Church of El Paso (805 Montana Ave.) with visitation to follow and interment at 12:30 p.m. at Restlawn Cemetery (4848 Alps Drive).