Graveside services with military honors will be held for 92-year old Raymond “Ray” Horton, who grew up in Hay Springs and Chadron, on Wednesday, September 29th at 1:00 at Mountain View Cemetery in Boulder, CO.
A joint memorial service for Ray and his wife Dorothy, who passed away at the peak of the COVID pandemic last year, will follow at 2:00 at Calvary Bible Evangelical Free Church in Boulder.
Raymond Stanley Horton was born June 10, 1929 to Curtis Wayne and Ada Mea Horton near Hay Springs, NE. He passed away on September 13, 2021.
Ray grew up in Chadron, NE, in hard times. By the age of 10, he ran his uncle’s farm, at 13 he became a professional bull rider, and at 14 he drove trucks for the military during WW11.
Ray served in the Korean War and led a special forces unit that operated behind enemy lines.
He was the last man standing in the Battle of Old Baldie. where 1050 US soldiers and 10,000 of the enemy were killed on one day. Ray received multiple purple hearts and many other medals for his time in the service.
Ray met Dorothy Hamel, the love of his life, during the Christmas season of 1955 and they were married the following June.
Ray worked at Rocky Flats near Denver for 30 years, mostly as a metallurgist in conjunction with NASA, creating many inventions used in the space program including the micro-extensometer which measures the tensile strength of metals which was a key part of the space program’s success.
He also taught Metallurgy courses to professors at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden.
Unfortunately, Ray was exposed to many chemicals and radioactive materials in his early work at Rocky Flats, which led to the Pulmonary Fibrosis that eventually took his life.
Ray had many interests. He was a sportsman enjoying fishing and hunting. He was also an avid rock & mineral collector and gold miner. He participated in The Colorado Mineral Society, The Denver Gem & Mineral Show, Gold Prospectors of Colorado, North Jeffco Mineral Club, and was a lifetime member of Flatirons Mineral Club.
He enjoyed photography & participated in Colorado Nature Photography, Rocky Flats Photography and Broomfield Photography Clubs. He was a 4-H leader for many years and developed Lapidary as a 4-H project.
Ray and Dorothy served as Superintendent of General Projects at the Boulder County Fair.
He was a Christian, loving his Lord Jesus Christ. He attended Grace Evangelical Free Church in Longmont, CO. and Calvary Bible Evangelical Free Church in Boulder, where he served as a deacon for many years.
Ray loved people and led a life filled with the love of family and friends. His standard departure with his friends was “God bless you, God bless your family and God bless America!”
Ray is survived by his son Stanley Horton (Sharon) of Longmont; daughter Diana Lienemann (Bob) of Salida, CO; Brother Ervin Horton of Reno, NV; nieces and nephews.
Ray was preceded in death by his beloved wife Dorothy Hamel Horton, his parents, his brother Ronald Horton, his sisters Lenna Thompson, Loretta Moore and three baby siblings.