Shirley Janet Horn

As a newborn baby, Shirley was adopted by her loving parents, Walter and Elsie Gustafson. At 13, she made the life-changing decision to accept Jesus as her Savior. She touched many lives in her 89 years, but it still doesn’t seem to be long enough. While she is no longer physically with us, her presence and legacy are forever stamped on our hearts.

Shirley was married to the love of her life, Jerry, for 67 years. They had 5 precious children: Jerry, Ricky, Roger, Jeanette, and Karen. Additionally, they were blessed with 15 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. Together they spent their lives serving the Lord and ministering to people through their involvement with Gideons International, nursing home ministries, and prayer meetings, just to name a few. Even after Jerry was no longer with us, Shirley still spoke about him with a twinkle in her eye; a reminder of her unconditional love for him and devotion to the life they built.

All those who knew Shirley, knew her to always show sincerity and concern for even the smallest details. This was the perfect trait as she loved caring for plants, namely orchids and African Violets (which is fitting as she loved the color purple). In fact, she had an entire room, dedicated to her plants, and each one meticulously cared for, as another child she was raising. Several months ago, she decided that she wanted a pet, and chose fish. If you remember, small details were very important, so as you might imagine, picking out her Beta fish (and accessories) was a full day event! After careful deliberation, she named them Pete and Repeat; she was awfully proud of herself for coming up with that. Some of these things may seem trivial, unnecessary even, to most people, but Shirley gave anyone and anything the same thought and time that the Lord bestows upon us.

There was a special place in Shirley and Jerry’s hearts for Hawaii; together they visited the beautiful islands more than 15 times. It was a place of solace and relaxation. Every year, Shirley prayed for a rainbow to appear if they were to travel that year. A rainbow, a promise from the Lord, came to be a symbol of hope for Shirley. In her final days, she displayed a rainbow coloring, from one of her great-grandchildren - a subtle reminder of the joy that she was soon to experience.

Shirley was truly the most incredible woman. She put her heart and soul into everything she did. Even in her final days, she faithfully shared the hope of Jesus with all who would listen. While she was in the hospital, she gave out more than 50 Bibles. She told us that as long as there were Bibles on her dresser, God wasn’t finished with her yet! The resounding theme of Shirley’s life is that of faithfulness and love; an unwavering faith in her Lord Jesus, and a constant love for all of God’s creation. May we honor and celebrate Shirley by striving to live as she did every day.

The next time you see a rainbow, I pray you think of Shirley and are reminded of the hope we have in Jesus!

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

A visitation for Shirley will be held Thursday, October 24, 2019 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Colonial Funeral Home, 625 Kitty Hawk Road, Universal City, TX 78148.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.colonialuniversal.com for the Horn family.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests donations in Shirley's memory be made to Deaf 316 Ministries or to The Gideons International. Direct links to these organizations are shown immediately below.