Smith "Smitty" Horton

July 31, 1931 - March 21, 2016 Smith “Smitty” Horton passed away on March 21, 2016, at Good Samaritan in Prescott Valley with his wife by his side. Smitty was born in Adrian, Michigan, on July 31, 1931, to Norman B. Horton and Mary Klea Horton. Smitty graduated from Adrian High School in 1949 and received a BS in business from Michigan State University in 1953. He was a swimmer in High School and on the Fencing Club in college. As he attended Michigan State on an ROTC scholarship, Smitty served for about two years in the Army (1953-55) as an officer in the Signal Corps. He served at Camp Gordon in Augusta, Georgia, and at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey and attained the rank of First Lieutenant. Smitty later attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Master’s in Public Administration in 1959. It was there in Philadelphia that he met his future wife, Jeanne Jersild. Jeanne was born and raised in Menasha, Wisconsin, and had recently completed nursing school at the Lankenau Hospital School of Nursing. They were married in 1959 in Port Huron, Michigan, where Smitty accepted an internship with the city government. Smitty and Jeanne added two sons to their family, Steve in November 1960 and Paul in April 1963. In 1960, Smitty took a job with Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan, as a specialist in the International Transportation office. He worked there for more than 33 years organizing the shipment of materials and components used to make cars in overseas facilities. This job took him all over the world to visit assembly plants and other Ford operations. His numerous international trips included visits to Japan, Korea, Mexico, Brazil, Australia and to several locations in Europe. He also spent 18 months assigned to the Ford of Europe headquarters in Warley, England. His wife Jeanne and his two children accompanied him on this assignment. Despite a busy and demanding job with Ford, Smitty found time to pursue three hobbies: local government, woodworking and golf. His service in local government spanned many decades. He worked on the Plymouth Township (Michigan) Planning Commission and was later elected to serve as a Plymouth Township Trustee. He was also an avid woodworker who dedicated lots of time and effort to building things for their home. The last two homes Smitty lived in will bear unmistakable evidence of his very high-quality work for many decades. He also found time to be with his family. He was always eager to play catch with his boys, attend their basketball games and concerts, and also loved to play bridge with the family. Smith and Jeanne retired to Dewey, Arizona, in late 1993. There Smitty continued his hobbies, playing golf several times a week and serving on the Yavapai County Zoning Board of Appeals, as a “VIP” (volunteers in protection), a Prescott Valley Hearing Officer, and as the President of the Prescott Country Club Property Owners Association. Smitty is survived by his wife, Jeanne; sons Steve (Julie) of West Point, New York and Paul (Sheryl) of Lancaster, California; grandchildren Susan (Jay), John, Amelia and Izzy; great-grandchildren Irie and Kai; and an older sister Mary. He was preceded in death by a younger brother Norman. He will be laid to rest with full honors at the Prescott National Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Sunrise Funeral Home and Crematory.