Harold Howard Horn

Harold Howard Horn was born at home in Buena Park, California on Tuesday, April 13, 1920. He would proudly tell you he was born alive at 6:25 in the morning. Harolds family consisted of parents Harry Stanley Horn and Agnes Elmina Thurman, brother Paul born in 1912 and sister Leona born in 1916. The family moved from Somerton, Arizona to Buena Park in 1918. Harold attended grammar school in Buena Park and graduated Fullerton Union High School, class of 1938. Two years at Fullerton Junior College completed his formal education. Harold, however, was a life-long learner. Harolds father Harry had an orange grove and raised chickens. He also ran H.S. Horn Feed Supply. Harold got his drivers license at age 15 so he could drive Pops delivery truck. Harolds parents were members of First Congregational Church, Buena Park and he was baptized there at age 12. One of the most influential people in his life was his mother. She was a leader in the Sunday school, cook for many church and community dinners and Worthy Matron of Eastern Star. Pop was a Master Mason. Harold said that the other person who had a big influence on his life was the secretary of the North Orange County YMCA, Arch Raitt. Arch was the sponsor for the high school Hi-Y and director of many summer Y camps Harold attended from ages 13 to 17. In order to attend weekly Wednesday morning Y meetings, Harold stayed at the Raitts home in Fullerton. Archs son John shared his room so Harold had a place to sleep. John was a senior when Harold was a freshman at Fullerton High. Harold was a member of Hi-Y all four years of high school, played two years of B football and lightweight water polo. He was junior class vice-president and chaired the prom committee that year. His senior year he was student body vice-president.Harold met Virginia Rogers in geometry class their sophomore year in high school. Harold joined Virginias church in 1936. They were a couple through junior college and made it official when they married August 2, 1941 at Fullerton First Christian Church. From then on, it was either Harold and Virginia or Virginia and Harold , no last name necessary for people to know who you were talking about.Harold and Virginia both worked at Knotts chicken dinner restaurant during their college years. The Knotts sometimes included Harold in Sunday night gatherings in their home after work. They wanted input from their employees.Harold and Virginias first home was a rental in San Diego where Harold was a teller for Bank of America, but soon was transferred to Fullerton. Harold was planting strawberries in the garden at 911 East Wilshire when they heard the radio report of the Pearl Harbor attack.From October 1942 to July 1944, Harold worked as a civilian for a construction company with military contracts on Oahu and Midway islands. He returned to Fullerton and was drafted in November 1944. The draftees were randomly divided into three groups, and his group was sent to the Navy.After boot camp in San Diego, he was assigned to the new Navy Cost Inspection division with duty stations at San Pedro, Long Beach and Newport Beach. He was given a subsistence allowance because the division had no barracks. He moved back to Fullerton and they lived with Virginias parents on Luanne Avenue. He drove to work five days a week working a daily 8:00 to 5:00 shift.Harold was as close to his in-laws as to his own parents. He and Virginia lived with her folks when Ken was born in 1945.In July 1946, the Horns and the Rogers moved to their new homes on Skyline Drive. Virginia called their home Horn Hollow even before it was built.The house grew with their family, adding on in 1950 when Janice arrived and again in 1956 when Janice moved from the nursery into the original bedroom and Ken got a new bedroom when they enclosed the covered porch. Harold worked around the house accompanied by the jazz music of Dave Brubeck.Harold and Virginia tended an extensive garden and orchard over the years. They planted gardenia bushes and rows of iris, irrigated rows of bush beans, crookneck squash, and even popcorn with tasty results. Fruit trees yielded apples, peaches, oranges, lemons, kumquats and pomegranates. Some fruit became their famous jams and jellies.Church life was always prominent in Harold and Virginias lives; they even attended a Christian Endeavor meeting the day after they were married. Their friends exclaimed What are you doing here? to which they replied Well, this is where all our friends are! They took their postponed honeymoon to Catalina Island during Labor Day weekend.Harold and Virginia were active as Sunday school teachers. They sponsored the Student Older Youth Fellowship (SOY-F) and Young Adult Fellowship in the 1950s and 60s. Harold served in the local congregation as o Sunday school superintendent o elder o chairs of Christian education stewardship church board In 1966 in the regional church o chair of commitment department which included evangelism stewardship world outreach resources o joint strategy committee for Southern California o chair for board of directors of Christian Churches of Southern California and Southern Nevada o president of the Orange District of Christian Churches o member of the steering committee of United Campus Christian Fellowship at Cal State Fullerton Harold was on the building committee for the current sanctuary building, dedicated in 1972 Served on boards of church related community centers in Los Angeles o All Peoples o Eastmont Harold and Virginia (until 1995) both attended and frequently served as delegates to General Assemblies of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) from 1959 to 2011. Harold was on the local arrangements committee for the 1981 Assembly in Anaheim and served on the General Board.Harold was a partner in Pomona Optical Service as a dispensing optician from 1946 to 1962. At age 42 he made a career change and became an insurance agent for Northwestern Mutual Life of Milwaukee and later became a Charter Life Underwriter.His retirement in 1982 brought time to travel. Harold (and sometimes Virginia) traveled to: Hawaii Australia New Zealand Canada Japan China (with former missionaries) Russia (sponsored by National Council of Churches) Italy (with Council on Christian Unity) o Harold met with Pope John Paul II in the Vatican as part of the delegation. Harold made multiple trips to Japan. Harold and Virginia made over twenty trips to Hawaii where Harolds brother Paul lived from 1936 to 1997.Health issues forced Harold to move from Horn Hollow in December 2013. His rapid decline resulted in his death on April 17, 2014.