William J. Horton, 82 of Carlinville, passed away on Sunday, February 12, 2023, at his residence in Carlinville. Bill was born on December 4, 1940, in Garden City, KS, a son of Robert Louis and Lena Thomas Horton.
He married Susan Thompson on October 31, 1964, in St. Joseph Catholic Church in Princeton, IN. Bill graduated from Pierceville High School in Pierceville, KS in 1958. Bill was a concrete slip-form specialist and worked all over the United States and sometimes abroad building grain elevators, flour mills, and feed mills.
He started working for Jarvis Construction in 1958 and was given his first project as a construction superintendent in Princeton, Indiana where he met Susan Thompson. They married in 1964. In 1966, Bill was assigned a project in Kingston, Jamaica. In 1967, their first child was born while working in Jamaica. After much travel, he and Susan settled the family in Albion, Illinois where they lived for 21 years.
All five of their children graduated from Edwards County High School. A few of Bill’s many achievements included being the job superintendent for the Barilla pasta plant in Ames, Iowa, the largest single-pour concrete building at that time in the United States for which he appeared on the cover of Concrete magazine. He managed the addition to the grain facility in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and led construction for multiple other projects throughout the United States.
Susan and Bill traveled for work but owned a home in Camdenton, Missouri on the Lake of the Ozarks from 1994 to 2004 and enjoyed their time there. In 2004, Bill and Susan moved to Carlinville where he loved watching his grandkids play sports. Bill retired in August 2006.
Bill was an amazing father that did not believe in sparing the rod. He coached little league baseball and junior league football when his boys played. He loved collecting coins, antiquing, yard sales, and auctions. He always gave the people he encountered respect; however, he still expected excellence. He was a man with a strong work ethic and allowed everyone a second chance. He will be greatly missed.
Bill is survived by his spouse, Susan Horton of Carlinville; daughter, Denise (Jimmy) Watkins of Stoneville, NC; son, David (Pamela) Horton of Groveland; daughter, Dana (Marty) Tieman of Carlinville; son, Darren (Laura) Horton of Williamsville; son, Doug Horton of Carlinville; 9 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; brother, Louis Horton of Annandale, MN; as well as several nieces and nephews.
Bill was preceded in death by his father, Robert Louis Horton; mother, Lena Horton; and sisters, Ruby Davis, Roberta Allen, Mary Erker, and Betty Wells.
Private funeral services will be conducted Saturday, February 18, 2023, at Davis-Anderson Funeral Home, Carlinville. Memorials may be made to Carlinville High School Baseball Boosters and can be sent in care of Jen Enrietta at Carlinville High School and to Ronald McDonald House.