John Landis Horst was born at home in Ephrata on Jan. 10, 1923 to Titus S. and Mary (Landis) Horst. He passed away peacefully on Nov. 25, 2019 at Garden Spot Village, at the age of 96.
On June 4, 1949, John and Carolyn Peterson were married under a full moon in California. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Carolyn.
He is also survived a daughter: Susanne Horst (Eugene) Brenneman of Kinzers; and three sons: David K. (Vonnie Lausch) Horst of Akron; Mark J. (Luanne) Horst of Ephrata; and Dan R. Horst (Diane) of Lititz; and daughter-in-law: Dawn Horst of Lititz. John is also survived by the following grandchildren: Nathan (Tina) Brenneman of Strasburg, Cristy (Doug Albert) Brenneman of Dallas, Texas; Rebecca (Jay) Lammey of Lancaster; Peter (Becca) Brenneman of Philadelphia; Heather (Patrick) Currie of Colorado Springs; Heidi (David) Hynd of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia; J. Ryan Horst of Lebanon; Stephanie (Eric) O’Conner of Salt Lake City, Utah; Mark James Horst of Groveland, Fla.; and Amanda Horst of Pittsburgh; and granddaughter-in-law: Amy Wiek (Shawn Weit) of Lititz. He was very proud of his great-grandchildren: Karli and Maddison Brenneman, Keeton Konzelmann, Titus and Roscoe Brenneman, Alexander and Quinn Currie; Hudson Hynd; Naomi and Abe O’Conner; and Olivia and Tanner Weik. John was also survived by his sister: Martha Kurtz Gascho of New Holland; and brother: T. Glenn Horst of Akron.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son: Jonathan L Horst, in January 2019; grandson: Dale Weik; and a brother: Ray E. Horst.
After graduation from Ephrata High School in 1941, John enrolled in Easter Mennonite University but was drafted in 1943. As a conscientious objector, John spent the war years serving in Civilian Public in Mulberry, Fla., area where he served on a Public Health hookworm control project. His unit was assigned to serve in an impoverished black and white community where they constructed and installed a large number of sanitary toilets throughout the community. Hookworm in the area was eradicated by this project.
When the war was over, John completed his enlistment by serving on four trips on three different Liberty ships as a Seagoing Cowboy. Seagoing Cowboys tended impregnated livestock on ships sent to war ravaged countries.
After completing this Seagoing Cowboy service, John took his beloved middle-aged Aunt Anna on tour through southern United States, ending in California. Anna decided to fly home to get married, leaving John in California. After doing several jobs, he ended up teaching at a school in Earlimont, Calif., where he met a fellow teacher, Carolyn Peterson. They were married six months after they started dating.
John completed his studies at Eastern Mennonite during summers, graduating in 1951. In 1961, he took his family of seven to Boulder, Colo., to obtain his MBS at University of Colorado.
The family than moved to Akron, where John taught science at Ephrata High School, before moving to teaching biology, and eventually techniques of science education, at Millersville University. When he retired from Millersville University in 1988, he was awarded Associate Professor, Emeritus status.
John spent many semester breaks in Switzerland, researching his Horst ancestors. He learned to speak Pennsylvania Dutch in his grandparents’ home, and German in high school. He was fluent in German and used those skills as a young man during Seagoing Cowboy breaks, as well as his numerous trips to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
He loved to travel and meet people of many cultures. John and Carolyn spent six months on a sabbatical, visiting universities all around the world, on a special ticket that provided air transportation as long as they traveled only east.
After retirement, John and Carolyn became snowbirds and loved spending winters at their cottage Pinecraft Community in Sarasota, Fla.
John taught his children to love to camp, hike and travel. Hikes often included a science lesson, looking for fossils, lichens, or looking for trap-door spiders. A hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with Susie and Jon in 1964 included a discussion of the time periods of the rocks, and discovery of various lizards. He enjoying working with his sons on their many Triumph sports cars.
John was a member of the Akron Mennonite Church. He quietly shared his faith by example.
We thank Garden Spot Village, Springwood Household, for the excellent loving care they have given Dad over the past six years.
Services were held Nov. 29 at Akron Mennonite Church, with Chaplain Marian Harnish officiating. Interment followed in the adjoining church cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to The Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) at mds.mennonite.net, or the Heifer Project at heifer.org.
Arrangements by Stradling Funeral Homes, Akron/Ephrata. Online condolences can be given at stradlingfuneralhome.com.
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