Marilyn Frances Horton

December 21, 1925 - July 25, 2015

Parents--Charles Reid 'Lucky' Horton and Tommie Newberry Horton

Frances Horton was born in Frostproof, FL and moved many times growing up in Florida and Georgia before making Pensacola her hometown. At the age of 16, she gave her heart to the Lord and lived the rest of her 89 years serving Him. After receiving the bachelor of arts degree from Stetson University in DeLand, FL and being selected to serve in the first Student Summer Missions in Hawaii, she felt the call into missions and attended Carver School of Missions and Social Work (now part of Baptist Theological Seminary) in Louisville, KY, receiving the master of religious education degree. She was appointed as a missionary to Japan in 1952 and spent 35 years there sharing the love of God with the people she had fallen in love with during that summer in Hawaii in 1947. She served in Sunday School and church work, directed choirs and taught English classes, and worked in publications, and was so proud to say she climbed Mt. Fuji twice, claiming the title of "Mt. Fuji Fool." She served on the board of directors of the Japan Missionary Language Institute in Tokyo, and assisted at the Tokyo Friendship House. After retiring from the foreign mission field in 1988, she was still active in the ministry, speaking and teaching both at her church, First Baptist Church of Pensacola, and across the country at World Missions Conferences and wherever she was asked. She lead out in a ministry to take mission groups back to Japan and to bring groups from Japan to Pensacola, working closely with each group to prepare them for the trips. She was an active member of the Japanese-American Society for many years. She taught Bible classes in Japanese to Japanese-Americans in Pensacola, Fort Walton and other locations. As long as her health permitted, she attended the Missionary Reunion in Ridgecrest and the reunion of Japan missionaries in Jackson, MS. Frances spent her last years in Graceville, FL, enjoying the hospitality and people of Baptist College of Florida. As her health failed, she moved to Mobile, AL, close to her family. After many years of serving the Lord, she has now met Him face to face.

Frances was preceded in death by her parents; brother and sister-in-law, Leonard and Ann Horton; niece, Sharan Butts; step-mother, Grace Horton; special step-sister and brother-in-law, Grace and Darrell Roden. She is survived by nieces, Susan Greer, Anita Solorzano, Candy (Cliff) Sims, Tammy (David) Wittner, and nephew, Chris (Tammy) Horton, and many great-nieces and -nephews and other relatives.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Frances' memory to the International Mission Board or your favorite mission organization.

A memorial service for Frances Horton will be held Monday, August 3 at 1:00pm at Bayview Fisher-Pou Chapel, 3351 Scenic Hwy, Pensacola, FL 32503