Florence Horn Turns 104 Tuesday
October 31, 2021 at 7:29 p.m.
Florence Horn Turns 104 Tuesday
By Jackie Gorski-
She said she doesn’t think she has any particular plans to celebrate her birthday. Daughter Nedra Dobbins said they don’t think they’ll celebrate Horn’s birthday because she gets tired very easily and Horn said she’s had too many others to celebrate.
When asked what her secret was to living to be 104, Horn said she didn’t have a secret, she just lived. When asked if she had any plans for her 105th birthday, she said no.
“When you get to be 100, you don’t think that far ahead,” Horn said.
Great-granddaughter Kara Kamp said Horn celebrated her 100th at her church with a large gathering where people got to come and say hello.
Dobbins said Horn was born Nov. 2, 1917, in a farmhouse on CR 225N on an 80-acre farm, to Clarence and Golden Quine.
They grew 10 acres of tomatoes. Dobbins said when Horn got home from school, Horn would have to pick tomatoes. Horn’s parents would then take the tomatoes to Pierceton on horse-drawn wagons.
When Horn was born, the farmhouse was 3-1/2 miles outside the city limits, Horn said. It’s still there, but it’s within city limits.
Horn said her first job was out of high school. She graduated high school in 1935 and her first job was at Kroger’s, which was located at South Buffalo Street at the time. She made $10 a week. Horn said she then got a raise and made $11 a week and then Social Security came in and they took a penny off every dollar.
In 1937, Horn married Owen Horn, who was from Mentone. They bought a farm north of Ind. 15, Dobbins said.
They had 18 acres and they raised 45,000 chickens, Dobbins said. Horn would get up at 5 a.m. to go work with the chickens until midnight.
“We took our eggs to Mentone to ship them to New York,” Horn said.
After several years, she and Owen had the chance to raise young pullets for someone else.
Horn decided to take a Bible course at Grace College. Her daughters told her to take something that would lead to a degree “and I did and I went yearround.”
Horn graduated in three years in 1965. Her degree was in elementary education and she got a job at Claypool Elementary School, teaching first grade.
In 1976, Owen suffered a stroke. Horn stayed at Claypool Elementary School for one more year and then transferred to Jefferson Elementary School.
“I wanted to be on a Warsaw telephone line,” Horn said.
When Horn was at Jefferson, it was called East Wayne School.
“That is where I started school when I was 5 years old,” Horn said.
It was 65 years after she started school that she retired from Jefferson, Dobbins said.
Owen died in 1989.
Florence and Owen were members of the Warsaw First Brethren Church, joining in 1937. Florence taught Sunday school, served as deaconess.
Horn said she and her husband had about every job there was in the church in one way or another.
Dobbins said her mother was also very involved in Gideons International. Horn also delivered Mobile Meals and was a member of the Warsaw Historical Society and Daughters of the American Society.
Horn has crocheted 100 afghans. Dobbins asked Horn how long it took her to crochet the 100 afghans and Horn said she didn’t know, she did it in her spare time.
Dobbins said she thinks Horn did her last one when she was 100. Horn gave them away to people who were widows, ill or something like that.
“She gave them all away,” Dobbins said.
In 2007, Horn was named Our Lady of Kosciusko County.
Horn had two daughters, Dobbins and the late Millicent Andrews; seven grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and 26 great-great-grandchildren.
Horn said she’s still pretty active, but she’s not been as active the last few years as she was before.
Dobbins said she moved Horn in with her in January 2020 after Dobbins’ husband died. Horn lived in her own home until then and drove until 2019.
“And she could drive out to Meijers and walk around Meijers two or three times a week just to get some exercise,” Dobbins said.
Until a few years ago, she was still doing her own yard work, Kamp said.
She currently doesn’t go to church, but does watch TBN and DayStar and she does watch a couple different pastors each day. Dobbins said religion is an important aspect in Horn’s life.
Cards or best wishes for Horn can be sent to Ashley Lemler at 11114 Cedar Road, Bourbon, IN 46504.
She said she doesn’t think she has any particular plans to celebrate her birthday. Daughter Nedra Dobbins said they don’t think they’ll celebrate Horn’s birthday because she gets tired very easily and Horn said she’s had too many others to celebrate.
When asked what her secret was to living to be 104, Horn said she didn’t have a secret, she just lived. When asked if she had any plans for her 105th birthday, she said no.
“When you get to be 100, you don’t think that far ahead,” Horn said.
Great-granddaughter Kara Kamp said Horn celebrated her 100th at her church with a large gathering where people got to come and say hello.
Dobbins said Horn was born Nov. 2, 1917, in a farmhouse on CR 225N on an 80-acre farm, to Clarence and Golden Quine.
They grew 10 acres of tomatoes. Dobbins said when Horn got home from school, Horn would have to pick tomatoes. Horn’s parents would then take the tomatoes to Pierceton on horse-drawn wagons.
When Horn was born, the farmhouse was 3-1/2 miles outside the city limits, Horn said. It’s still there, but it’s within city limits.
Horn said her first job was out of high school. She graduated high school in 1935 and her first job was at Kroger’s, which was located at South Buffalo Street at the time. She made $10 a week. Horn said she then got a raise and made $11 a week and then Social Security came in and they took a penny off every dollar.
In 1937, Horn married Owen Horn, who was from Mentone. They bought a farm north of Ind. 15, Dobbins said.
They had 18 acres and they raised 45,000 chickens, Dobbins said. Horn would get up at 5 a.m. to go work with the chickens until midnight.
“We took our eggs to Mentone to ship them to New York,” Horn said.
After several years, she and Owen had the chance to raise young pullets for someone else.
Horn decided to take a Bible course at Grace College. Her daughters told her to take something that would lead to a degree “and I did and I went yearround.”
Horn graduated in three years in 1965. Her degree was in elementary education and she got a job at Claypool Elementary School, teaching first grade.
In 1976, Owen suffered a stroke. Horn stayed at Claypool Elementary School for one more year and then transferred to Jefferson Elementary School.
“I wanted to be on a Warsaw telephone line,” Horn said.
When Horn was at Jefferson, it was called East Wayne School.
“That is where I started school when I was 5 years old,” Horn said.
It was 65 years after she started school that she retired from Jefferson, Dobbins said.
Owen died in 1989.
Florence and Owen were members of the Warsaw First Brethren Church, joining in 1937. Florence taught Sunday school, served as deaconess.
Horn said she and her husband had about every job there was in the church in one way or another.
Dobbins said her mother was also very involved in Gideons International. Horn also delivered Mobile Meals and was a member of the Warsaw Historical Society and Daughters of the American Society.
Horn has crocheted 100 afghans. Dobbins asked Horn how long it took her to crochet the 100 afghans and Horn said she didn’t know, she did it in her spare time.
Dobbins said she thinks Horn did her last one when she was 100. Horn gave them away to people who were widows, ill or something like that.
“She gave them all away,” Dobbins said.
In 2007, Horn was named Our Lady of Kosciusko County.
Horn had two daughters, Dobbins and the late Millicent Andrews; seven grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and 26 great-great-grandchildren.
Horn said she’s still pretty active, but she’s not been as active the last few years as she was before.
Dobbins said she moved Horn in with her in January 2020 after Dobbins’ husband died. Horn lived in her own home until then and drove until 2019.
“And she could drive out to Meijers and walk around Meijers two or three times a week just to get some exercise,” Dobbins said.
Until a few years ago, she was still doing her own yard work, Kamp said.
She currently doesn’t go to church, but does watch TBN and DayStar and she does watch a couple different pastors each day. Dobbins said religion is an important aspect in Horn’s life.
Cards or best wishes for Horn can be sent to Ashley Lemler at 11114 Cedar Road, Bourbon, IN 46504.
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