SERVICE LOCATION HAS CHANGED
Pamela (“Pam”) Jean Essary Horton passed away at her family’s ranch on February 10, 2025. She was 74 years old. A Celebration of Life will be at 10:00 AM, Friday, February 14, 2025 at First Baptist Church with Dr. Craig Darter of Childress, Texas officiating. Arrangements are by Smith Funeral Home.
Pam was born in Lubbock, Texas on September 13, 1950 at West Texas Hospital. The third born of six sisters, Pam grew up in Lubbock, Texas Denver City, Texas and Quanah, Texas. After participating in the band, one-act play, FHA and 4-H, Pam graduated from Quanah High School in 1970. After attending college at Abilene Christian College, she married her high school sweetheart Kenneth Lee Horton in 1970 in Quanah, Texas. Kenneth and Pam celebrated 55 years of marriage last year. Kenneth and Pam are proud parents to eight children, Kenneth Craig Horton and his wife Kenni Marsalis Horton of Plainview, Texas, Jonathan Chris Horton and his wife Susan Morrissey Horton of Minco, Oklahoma, Jason Lee Horton and his wife Amy Green Horton of Quanah, Texas, and Kimberly Horton Schumacher and her husband Jason Andrew Schumacher of Dallas, Texas. Kenneth and Pam have 24 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. Pam was a long-time member of North Groesbeck Church.
Pam found her life’s calling in many different areas. Her marriage to Kenneth was her most important relationship on Earth. From spending a typical Saturday night driving around on the roads of Hardeman Country in high school to spending every morning together in Bible study, the two were largely inseparable during their entire lives together. They were each other’s best friend and intertwined partners in this life. Their marriage was marked by many adventures such as traveling to far shores like Scotland and Israel, and spending nights on Lake Texoma in their sailboat, and savoring times in the mountains of Colorado and New Mexico or the beaches of Hawaii. Yet, despite these adventures, they found the most satisfaction in being with each other on their family’s ranch the Bar A, raising children, enjoying grandchildren and great grandchildren, and relishing the everyday miracles of the splendor of the Hardeman County sunrises and sunsets.
Pam was a fantastic mother to Craig, Chris, Jason and Kimberly. She found incredible purpose in the care and nurturing of her children. As a proud homemaker most of her life, Pam invested into her children and sought to care for them but allowed them to develop their own identity and independence. She taught them to love to learn and challenged them to be leaders. Pam along with Kenneth shared and instilled their deep faith in Jesus into her children. As her children became married, Pam became a mother all over again to each of the spouses and loved them each very well.
Pam relished her role as grandmother and great grandmother, or as her grandchildren called her, “Ma”. There seemed to be no limit to Ma’s ability to play with her grandkids. From writing and directing productions, to board games, to playing with dolls and cars and to hosting the epic multi-day cousin camps on the Bar A, Ma made life with her grandkids a fantasy land of fun and adventure.
Pam also loved her childhood with her parents Ruben and Marceline Glasscock Essary and her sisters Kay, Cheryl, Lisa, Terry, and Kim. Living only in homes that Ruben and Marceline constructed themselves, Pam loved her life with her sisters. Each of the six sisters married and had multiple children. One of the highlights of her life was gathering together for Essary family reunions that would include in recent years well over 100 people. These occasions were normally marked by a musical production put on by the “Sisters” or as they were sometimes known as the “Aunts”. All people in attendance remember their rendition of “You Light Up My Life” as sung to their husbands as especially meaningful due to their unique light show they performed. There was almost nothing the Sisters could not accomplish together, and many weddings of their children over the years allowed the Sisters to work together in full force.
Pam and Kenneth also shared life on the Bar A Ranch with Kenneth’s parents Kenneth and Eula Mae Jackson Horton, and Kenneth’s brother and sister-in-law Johnny and Cheryl Horton, and their two daughters Jessie and Cassie. Pam would label these relationships as incredibly special and made them as close as any family could be and was grateful and honored to share this life with all of them and to be loved by all of them.
While family was paramount, Pam also had several jobs and was a business owner. Over her life, she worked as a babysitter, clerk, gift wrapper, secretary, substitute teacher, Rubber Maid saleswoman, and a house cleaner. Also, she was the proud owner of the Daffodil Express, a boutique retail and soda shop located in downtown Quanah. The business started by remodeling a historic building that was originally built in 1889. Don Barker was contracted to restore the original ceiling, floors and walls. The Daffodil Express provided gifts of all shapes and sizes and was a place where the community could gather for a fountain shop soda, sandwich or a bowl of soup. Pam invested deeply into the store and into the community. Her store gained notoriety because of its investment into restoring a historical part of Quanah. This caught the attention of then Governor and First of Lady of Texas George W. and Laura Bush. The Daffodil Express hosted the to-be President and First Lady for lunch as the couple was traveling through the area. Pam eventually sold The Daffodil Express to allow her to have more time to devote to her family.
Pam loved Quanah and Hardeman County. She lived there almost her entire life and poured her time and talent into it. In addition to owning and operating The Daffodil Express, Pam volunteered her time consistently over the 6 decades that she lived in Quanah in many different ways and organizations. She was very gratified in her time serving as the organizer of Dickens Christmas, an event and parade that brought the community to celebrate the town and businesses of Quanah during the Christmas season. For all of her efforts to make Hardeman County a better place, Pam was awarded the Pioneer Award by the Quanah Chamber of Commerce.
Pam was heavily woven in the fabric of North Groesbeck Church. Pam has served as a Bible teacher of adults, youth and kids and has organized many special events at the church. In recent years, she had the privilege of organizing an annual women’s retreat, allowing her to showcase her gifts of teaching and connecting people to one another – this was definitely an event that was in her sweet spot and allowed her to deepen her relationships with women that were her Sisters in Christ and who she counted among her very best of friends.
Pam’s devotion to being a disciple of Jesus and was evident from her life of service and sacrifice. Pam’s days were filled with the affairs and needs of other people. She felt a calling to serve the Lord through deeply devoting herself into her relationships and her community. Pam was considered by those that knew her best to be a force of nature, going beyond any normal limits of service in order to make other people’s lives better , richer and fun. She saw people as precious creations of God and took seriously that her words and actions had the chance to shine God’s love and light to those around her. She felt incredibly blessed by the Lord to enjoy an amazing life surrounded by her husband, her family, her friends and her community in the place she loved the most. And her family, friends and community are marked forever by her incredibly well-lived life. She ran her race in this life very well.
Pam is preceded in death by her parents Ruben and Marceline Glasscock Essary, her two sisters Kay Nelson and Cheryl Ryan, and her three grandchildren Kelsea Horton, Caden Horton, and Madison Horton. She is survived by her husband Kenneth, her sons and daughters-in-law Craig (Kenni Marsalis) Horton, Chris (Susan Morrissey) Horton, Jason (Amy Green) Horton, her daughter and son-in-law Kimberly (Jason) Schumacher. She is also survived by 21 grandchildren and their spouses, Cash (Gracen Proctor) Horton, Cale (Anyssa Amador) Horton, Kentlee Horton, Ashley Espraza, Emily (Dustin) Pendergrass, Hank (Mariah Biswell) Horton, Eli Horton, Ben Horton, Grace Horton, Leah Horton, Molly Horton, Josiah Horton, Ella Horton, Kate Horton, Kooper (Grace Parmer) Horton, Case Horton, Kenna Mae Horton, Jack (Jilly Woodward) Schumacher, Johnny Schumacher and Annie Schumacher. She is also survived by 12 great grandchildren. She is also survived by her sisters and their spouses, Lisa (Tim) Leftwich, Terry (Dave) Babcock, and Kim (Mike) Babcock.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to North Groesbeck Church.
