Active Agoura Hills volunteer dies

Ken Horton Ken Horton was a man of in- tegrity, passion, generosity and kindness, and at 59 he died far too soon for the multitude of people who loved, respected and admired him.

Horton died of complications of lymphoma. Family and friends celebrated his life at a private me- morial service in Agoura Hills on Saturday.

Horton lived in Agoura Hills from 1988 until January of this year. He was an active community leader who worked as a financial aid officer for a network of com- puter training centers. He was the man behind Junior Achievement at Agoura High School, and was an inspirational leader at the Agoura Hills Senior Center, a YMCA volunteer, and a baseball coach-the list goes on and on.

Many people remember Horton as a man of principle. He entered the 1999 Agoura Hills City Council race as the city's first ever write-in candidate, running against two incumbents. It was one of two tries for a council seat, but he was not elected. He said he had hoped to inspire apathetic voters to thor- oughly research issues and candi- dates before casting a vote.

At the time, Home Depot wanted to open a store in the city. Rather than make a rash judgment about the big box retailer, Horton spent about 100 hours researching the pros and cons of the issue be- fore concluding the store wasn't the right fit for Agoura Hills.

"He always felt that one should give back to the community and he felt that he had a lot to contrib- ute," said Horton's wife, Joanne Burns. "There was not one single cause for his activism, just the need to contribute."

Burns and Horton moved to Oregon in January for the more relaxed lifestyle, Burns said. "Un- fortunately Ken got sick right away and our life was anything but relaxed."

Horton's son, Brandon, 28, said his father wanted to step aside from the "fast-moving world and smell the flowers, smell the fresh air."

He hangs on to memories of playing baseball with his father and the many small moments of encouragement and support he re- ceived while growing up.

"He was always there for me," Horton said. "He honestly was the most selfless individual I have ever known," he said. "It didn't matter who needed him, or for what-a neighbor could come by at 4 in the morning (for help), and he would just do it. He never dis- appointed me."

Ken Horton's godson, Justin Siegel, agreed. In a letter he sent to the hospitalized Horton, Siegel wrote, "I have always felt so com- fortable around you because you have this warmth and glow . . . an aura around you that just screams out kindness and generosity. You have the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met."

"He truly was everyone's friend and the person to turn to in time of need," Burns said. "He never turned anyone down."

Gordon Whitehead, a Las Vir- genes Unified School District board member, said he became friends with Horton when Horton coached his daughter's softball team.

"He just constantly saw oppor- tunities to help the community," Whitehead said. "He was a very wonderful man."

A fatherly piece of advice from his dad sticks with Horton. "He told me life is all about choices; the person you become is defined by these choices that you make, so make the right ones," Horton said. "It was so simple. Every single minute of the day is a choice. That always stuck with me."

Horton said his father's pas- sion for all things great and small, including gardening or running for City Council, taught him a life les- son. "I learned to go at life full speed. He really did this on a daily basis."

Horton and Burns have five children and three grandchildren between them-Byron Horton, 36, Brandon Horton, 28, Brandy Horton, 32, Jake Burns, 28, and Kari Burns, 26.

"He was a unique individual who cared about so many and asked so little of those around him," his wife said. "He was loved by everyone who knew him, but most of all by me."

Agoura Hills Mayor Denis Weber closed last week's City Council meeting in honor of Horton, his friend. "He was just a very upbeat, decent human being, who left too early," Weber said.