Patricia "Pat" Van Horn

Patricia “Pat” Van Horn died peacefully at home in California on October 17, 2026, at the age of 85.

Pat grew up on a dairy farm outside Smicksburg. She loved farm life, though it was hard work. She milked the cows, fed them hay in the winter and, for a while, kept a pet pig named Bacon. She attended the Plumville-South Mahoning school, graduated from Marion Center High School in 1959, earned her degree at Slippery Rock State College and began her career teaching at Dayton High School.

She and Harold "Barney" Van Horn grew up about seven miles apart. Their fathers had worked together on her father's farm, but Pat and Barney never met until she was a student at Slippery Rock. Barney spotted her outside a store in town and started talking to her. They married at Glade Run Presbyterian Church in Dayton on January 7, 1967, with nine Dayton High School cheerleaders forming an honor guard. They first lived in Greeley, Colorado, where she taught dance and earned a Master of Arts in Education at Colorado State College, and then in Jackson, Michigan, before settling in California.

Pat built her career at Acalanes High School in Lafayette, California. She taught physical education, served as the school's athletic director and advised the spirit group and dance club. She went on to direct the Acalanes Adult Education Center. She revamped and greatly expanded it, adding more than 33,000 student hours a year. In 1997 she partnered with the Computer Club of Rossmoor to bring computer classes to local retirees. She retired in 2005. Outside the classroom she produced community television programs and was a member of Soroptimist International of Lamorinda. Known for her energy among students and colleagues, she often said she was always learning.

Pat never liked to sit still, and she was seldom without a pretty hat. She golfed regularly, worked and exercised all her life. She and Barney once went skydiving together, each strapped to an instructor for a first and only jump. In retirement, they lived in Oregon and then Missouri. After Barney died in 2013, she took several cruises with a close friend. In 2018 she moved to The Villages, Florida. There she played in golf tournaments and leagues, including the 2019 Florida Cup in Tampa, and was a sought-after partner for her putting. She served as secretary and a board member of the local chapter of the American Singles Golf Association and attended North Lake Presbyterian Church. She treasured her family and old friends. Every summer she made the long trip home to Pennsylvania to see her sister, her classmates and a wide circle of friends from Marion Center to Pittsburgh to Lancaster. She never missed a class reunion if she could help it.

This year she moved back to California to be near her son and grandchildren. She was Grandma to three grandsons and the loudest voice on the sideline at Saturday soccer and tee ball games. One week before she died, she played her last round of golf with her son.

She is survived by her son, Clint, and his family, and by her sister, Ann. She was preceded in death by her parents, Guy and Eleanor, and by her husband, Barney, a landscape contractor known for his moss rock walls and waterfalls, which were in such demand that he never had to advertise.

A memorial service and burial in Smicksburg will be held in the spring of 2027. Details will be announced at that time. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift in Pat's name to a cause of your choosing.

Arrangements by Donahue-Tylinski Funeral Home, Indiana.