Imogene (Redd) Horn

Imogene Horn, age 87 of Whitney passed away Sunday, February 13, 2022.  A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am Saturday, February 26, 2022, at the Whitney Church of Christ. Prior to the service we will have a visitation from 9:30-10:30 am at the Church.

Imogene was born on November 19, 1934 on a cotton farm in Lincoln County, Mississippi. She was the first child born to James Otis Redd, Jr. and Berniece Woodall-Redd. In 1942, at the young age of eight, Imogene and the family left the farm and moved to Port Arthur, Texas where her father, Otis, went to work at the Gulf Oil refinery. The family moved from house to house five times during the first few years in Port Arthur due to a housing shortage caused by the ongoing, second world war. Finally, in 1951, the family was able to build and move into a new house where Imogene and her four younger siblings finished growing up. Imogene attended Thomas Jefferson Highschool in Port Arthur, Texas where she graduated in 1953. After graduating from high school, she worked as an operator for the telephone company.

When the Redd family moved into their new house in Port Arthur, Texas, they soon met the Horn family that lived just two houses down. There are competing stories where either Imogene first went to the Horn house to introduce herself to the Horn family or Charles was first to go to the Redd house to introduce himself to the Redd family. However it happened, Imogene became friends with two of Charles’ sisters. At some point, the sisters decided that Imogene was the perfect match for their brother. Charles resisted at first because it was his sisters’ idea. Imogene would later say that Charles’ sisters almost ruined what ended up being a perfect match. Eventually Charles and Imogene began dating and it was not long before it was time for Charles to ask the big question. At the end of one particular date night, they pulled into the driveway of the Horn house and asked Imogene if she would marry him. Before she could answer, Charles’ parents pulled in behind them, got out, knocked on the car window and invited them to come inside. Somewhere in all the confusion and interruptions, Imogene did say “Yes.”

Imogene married Charles on June 1, 1956 and set out on her new life. Their plans were quickly interrupted when Charles was drafted into the Army in August, 1956. In October, 1956, Imogene went with Charles to his first duty station at Fort Knox, Kentucky. For the first few months, she lived in an attic apartment by herself during the week and worked as a telephone operator. Charles was only able to come home occasionally when he could get a weekend pass.

In August, 1958, Charles got out of service and he and Imogene moved to Winnie, Texas to begin their life of preaching and serving the Lord’s Church. While there, the family started to grow when they had their first child, David, in December, 1958. In 1960, Imogene and the family moved to Independence, Missouri where Charles preached for a small, but well-established congregation. While there, the family grew again with the birth of two daughters, Sue in 1961 and Patti in 1964. In 1966, the family moved to Columbia, Mississippi to work with a small, struggling congregation. During their short stay in Mississippi, the family increased again when Imogene gave birth to their second son, Tim. Later that year, Imogene and the family moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas to work with another congregation. Believe it or not, no children were born during their time in Arkansas. That would change when Imogene and the family moved back to Independence, Missouri in 1969 to work with the same congregation as before. In 1971, Imogene gave birth to her last child, Pam. Life marched on and Imogene continued to support her husband and family as they packed up and moved in pursuit of congregations of the Lord’s Church that needed their services. The family moved to Brookhaven, Mississippi in 1973, to Shreveport, Louisiana in 1977, and Kountze, Texas in 1979. In 1984, Imogene and the family moved to Whitney, Texas and served the Church there for the next eight years. After retiring from fulltime ministry in 1992, Charles and Imogene remained in the Whitney area where they were able to finally build a new house of their own out in the country and put down some permanent roots.

In 1986, Imogene’s first grandchild was born. Between 1986 and 2003, 14 grandchildren were born to Charles and Imogene. In 2013, greatgrandchildren began to arrive. They now have 11 greatgrandchildren. Their most recent greatgrandchild was born on February 12, 2022 – less than 12 hours before Imogene passed away. Imogene’s grandchildren and greatgrandchildren were her pride and joy. All of them loved to spend time at Maw Maw’s and Paw Paw’s house. She had enough love for all of them and made each one feel special in a way that only Maw Maw could do.

Imogene spent decades serving as a “preacher’s wife” with selfless service and dignity. She taught countless number of young children in Bible class through the years and served as a mentor and example to many young wives and mothers.

She had a great love for the outdoors and growing plants. She had a green thumb and loved planting and growing a garden with Charles each year. Their efforts provided a continuous supply of garden vegetables and canned pickles to her family and friends. She also loved feeding and watching birds and other wildlife.

Imogene was a special lady, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She will be missed, but she will always have a special place in the hearts of her family and the countless other lives she touched during her life.

Imogene is survived by her husband of 65 plus years, Charles Horn. She is also survived by her son, David Horn and wife Debbie of Tulia, Texas. Her daughter, Sue Cearley and her husband Kerry of Whitney, Texas. Her daughter Patti White and her husband Steve of China Spring, Texas. Her son Tim Horn and his wife Cindy of Waco, Texas. Her daughter Pam Wardlow of Whitney, Texas. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 11 greatgrandchildren.

She is also survived by her brother James Redd and wife Jo Carol of College Station, Texas. Her brother Bobby Redd and wife Shirley of Orange, Texas. Her sister Karen Munoz of Harlingen, Texas. Her Sister Jan Miller and husband Errol of Bridge City, Texas. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, James Otis Redd, Jr. and Berniece Woodall-Redd.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in her honor be made to St. Jude's Children’s Hospital or Foster’s Home for Children, Stephenville, Texas.

Honorary Pallbearers: (Grandsons)

Michael Horn

Ethan White

Dustin Horn

Jacob White

Brent Cearley

Caleb Horn

Justin Wardlow

Joshua Horn