Richard Arnold Horton

Mr. Richard Arnold Horton Mr. Richard Arnold Horton, 86, died at 9:15 P.M. on Monday, June 13, 2011 in his home at the Green Country Village in Bartlesville. Funeral services for Mr. Horton will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Friday, June 17, 2011 at the First United Methodist Church with Dr. Kevin Tully of First United Methodist and Father T. Lee Stephens of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church as the officiants. Interment will be in the Memorial Park Cemetery where full military rites will be accorded by the James H. Teel American Legion Post # 105 Ceremonial Detail. Funeral services and interment will be directed by the Stumpff Funeral Home & Crematory. Honorary casket escorts will include members of the Bartlesville China-Burma-India Veterans Association of which Mr. Horton was a member. The Horton family will receive guests for visitation at the Stumpff Funeral Home on Thursday evening from 5 P.M. until 7 P.M. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial donations be made to the American Red Cross, 601 S. Jennings, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 74003 or to the charity of the donor’s choice. Mr. Horton was born at Oil Hill, Kansas on April 17, 1925 the son of Stephen Arnold Horton and Dorothy Marie (Abbott) Horton. He lived in Kansas until coming to Bartlesville with his family as a child. He attended Central Junior High and College High School where he graduated in 1943. It was there that he met his high school sweetheart and future wife, Helen Ruth Millstead. Following his graduation he entered the United States Army serving as a military policeman in the China-Burma-India Theatre during World War II. Following his Honorable Discharge on June 17, 1946, he returned to Bartlesville and was married to Helen Ruth Millstead on August 25, 1946. They moved to Norman, Oklahoma where he attended the University of Oklahoma until transferring to the University of Missouri at Columbia, Missouri. On completion of his college education, Mr. and Mrs. Horton returned to Bartlesville where he was employed with his father-in-law, Harry Millstead at Millstead Van Lines. Following Mr. Millstead’s death in June of 1966, Mr. Horton became President and CEO of the company and expanded the business into several surrounding states and Canada before selling the business in 1982. He later started and operated Tiger Transit until the early 1990’s. He was an active member of the Bartlesville Downtown Kiwanis for over 50 years and had served as the Lt. Governor for the Oklahoma-Texas region. He was also an active volunteer for the American Red Cross, was a member of the First United Methodist Church, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and longtime member of the Hillcrest Country Club. He was one of the founding members of the Bartlesville China-Burma-India Veterans Association. Mr. Horton is survived by one son, Tom Horton and his wife Debbie of Katy, Texas, one daughter, Carole Horton-Howe and husband Robert Howe of Mission Viejo, California, one grandson, Drew Millstead Horton of Coffeyville, Kansas, an aunt, Lucille Johnson of Houston, Texas, several cousins, Harold Johnson of Houston, Texas, June Cleary of Tulsa, Bob Gordon of Tulsa and Carolyn Finkey of Sun City West, Arizona and a wide circle of friends from many years of residence in Bartlesville. Mr. Horton was preceded in death by his wife, Helen Ruth Millstead Horton on June 3, 2008 and his parents. The Horton family wishes to acknowledge their appreciation for the care given to Mr. Horton by Interim Health Care and Rivercross Hospice. PDF Printable Version

Richard Arnold Horton

April 17, 1925 - June 13, 2011