Dec
14
Joyce M. Horton - Ave atque vale
Filed Under Ave atque vale, Family, Reading
Stonewall Jackson considered it a great blessing to die on the Sabbath day. Another valiant saint left the church militant for the church triumphant this past Lord’s Day, Mrs. Joyce M. Horton (1919-2006) of Clinton, Mississippi. She was a great friend of the Christian family. I cannot claim to have known Mrs. Horton well, but in the times I met her, there was always something of the savor of Christ about her. It could be well said of her what was said of Sibbes–that heaven was in her long before she was in heaven. I have friendships in circles that she influenced deeply, and I know that they will agree. Here is a lovely tribute from her obituary in the Jackson Clarion-Ledger:
‘Mrs. Horton’s passion during her years on this earth was to serve the One who created and redeemed her. In addition to the daily instruction of her six children, she taught Bible studies in her home, in local churches, downtown Jackson, in prisons, and through the Christian Women’s Club, in addition to speaking at conferences across the country. She taught the child’s version of the Westminster Shorter Catechism of the Presbyterian Church to two generations of children in her local church, and presented seminars to other churches on how to teach it. In 1979 she published the material of these seminars as How to Teach the Child’s Catechism to Children, widely-used today for training teachers in the US, Britain and Australia. At the age of 60, Mrs. Horton began a thrice-weekly Bible study for female prisoners at the Rankin County Correctional Facility and continued teaching for fifteen years, until ill health forced her retirement. During that time she taught a group study in each building, individually visited each maximum-security inmate, quelled a prison riot, rescued a relapsed ex-offender from a crack house, and by precept and example taught uncountable prisoners to love and obey her Savior. The effect of her teaching and influence on the inmates gained her unlimited access to the prison, even during “lock-down,” when no outside visitors are permitted. In 1999 she received the Presbyterian Church in America’s “Urban and Mercy Women in Leadership” award, which included a grant to her prison ministry.
‘In 1963, Mrs. Horton’s husband became one of the founding board members of Reformed Theological Seminary. For many years she prepared and served a back-to-school spaghetti dinner for students each September, and ministered to the wives of students through Bible studies, annual garden parties, personal counseling, and friendship.
‘Joyce Horton’s survivors include her husband of nearly 65 years, Frank, of Clinton; her children: Beverly Biggs of Crystal Springs; Joyce Herring and her husband Wayne of Memphis, Tenn.; Frank Horton Jr. (Bud) and his wife Jennifer of Brandon; Frosty Howell and her husband Michael of Montgomery, Alabama; Bob Horton and his wife Leigh Anne of Gadsden, Ala.; and Mark Horton of New York; her sister: Sandra Aeschliman and husband Richard of Atlanta, Ga.; her brother: Frank Matthews of Grenada; 19 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews, grand-nieces and nephews, and her self-proclaimed “black child,” Pauline Rogers of Natchez, one of the beneficiaries of Mrs. Horton’s prison ministry. Her life and her heart also embraced the, “company of the redeemed, whom no man can number.”‘
Mrs. Horton’s book How to Teach the Catechism to Children is still the best book of its kind. Teaching sound doctrine to children was important to her because she had embraced liberalism while she was in college. After she and Frank married, she embraced Reformed theology and never let go. Her life leaves a legacy of teaching ‘the trustworthy message as taught’ to many others. As she wrote in the preface to her book, ‘I take comfort in the fact that God can use a crooked stick to accomplish His purposes.’
And for believers, vale is not the final word. More fitting is the German farewell, auf wiedersehen–’until we see again.’
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2 Responses to “Joyce M. Horton - Ave atque vale”
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Joyce’s and my mother, Mary Elizabeth Atkinson Matthews, was born in Kosciusko, and our family visited often. May I ask who wrote the beautiful tribute to Joyce? (I recognize a great deal of the article as being from the obituary.)
Thanks in advance.
Sandra Matthews
Aeschliman
Dear Sandra,
Thank you for the kind words about the tribute to Mrs. Joyce that I wrote a few weeks back. I was unaware of the connection you all have with Kosciusko. I’ll be sure to ask our good historians about your mother. My occasions for meeting your sister and Mr. Frank were during my years as a student at RTS in the early ’90s, through friendships with Mike and Frosty Howell and Wayne Herring and Bebo Elkin, and through my stepmother, who used to live next door to the Hortons before she married my father (her name was Brenda Roebuck). Thanks for the encouraging word, and grace, mercy and peace be yours in abundance through Christ Jesus.