Ralph L. Horne

Ralph L. Horne, of Lawton, Oklahoma, formerly of Ottawa, and Emporia, Kansas, died Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Celebration of life service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, August 6, 2015, at Dengel & Son Mortuary. Family will meet with friends following the service. Attendees are encouraged to wear KU Jayhawks and Royals apparel to celebrate Ralph’s favorite teams. Ralph was born Sunday, August 26, 1945, in Ottawa, Kansas, the son of Ralph Ira and Betty Jean (Pearce) Horne. He grew up in Ottawa, moving in 1988 to Emporia, Kansas, where he lived until 1996. He moved frequently due to his wife’s work from 1996 to 2015. He recently resided in Farmington, Missouri from 2011 to 2015, before moving to Lawton, Oklahoma. He graduated from Ottawa High School with the class of 1963 and then joined the United States Navy, serving in the Coral Sea. Upon discharge in 1967, Ralph attended Emporia State Teacher’s College for one year. Ralph was united in marriage with Deborah Morgan June 30, 1989, in Emporia. She survives of the home. Other survivors include his six children, Carl Elder and wife Annette, Stephen Elder and wife Kami, Anna Halpern and husband Seth, Tricia Kingsbury and husband Brad, John Horne and wife Melissa and Lee Scott; three sisters, Judy Justice and husband Darrel, Cora Hensiek and husband Larry, and Cindy McCurdy and husband David; twenty-two grandchildren one of whom is Katie Price who lived with Ralph and Debbie much of her life and was raised like a daughter; and three great-grandchildren with number four due any day. He was preceded in death by his parents. He worked as a security sergeant at Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation for nineteen years, retiring in 2001. He was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Post 1980, Emporia. Ralph enjoyed reading, watching sports (especially Jayhawks basketball and the Royals), and watching old cartoons with his great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorial contributions to the charity of choice c/o Dengel & Son Mortuary, 235 S. Hickory, Ottawa, Kansas 66067. Family and friends are encouraged to leave their condolences and memories on Ralph’s Tribute Wall at www.dengelmortuary.com.