November 12, 2014

Daun Ann Horttor died at San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 15, 2014. She was born May 13, 1961, in the Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y., a few hours before her dad was to take his last and hardest final exam. The first time he saw Daun she was being given a bath in a laundry tub in the hospital laundry room because the nursery was full.
She was consecrated as a baby and later became a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Topeka. She graduated from Topeka West High School where she was the pianist for the TWHS Jazz group and from the University of Kansas where she was the pianist for the KU Jazz band. At KU she followed in the footsteps of her mother as a proud member of the Alpha Phi sorority and was the first female at KU to achieve the rank of Cadet Colonel in the Air Force ROTC.
At her commissioning ceremony as a 2nd Lieuenant in the USAF, she was given her oath of office by her grandfather, Col. Harold Ausherman, a veteran of both WWI and WWII. She retired from active duty in the USAF on Aug. 31, 2005, but remained in the Reserves for several more years.
Daun was survived by her son, Tyler; her parents, Don and Jane Ann; her brother, Bretton; her sister-in-law, Carolyn; her nephew, Charles; and her niece, Mary Ann (all Horttors).
A more complete obituary and record of military service may be found at http://www.penwellgabeltopeka.com.
Military graveside services by Whiteman Air Force Base will be held Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. at Penwell-Gabel Cemetery, 3616 SW 6th Avenue, Topeka, Kan., followed by visitation and lunch, to which all friends are invited, 12-2 p.m. at Arab Shrine Temple, 1305 S. Kansas Avenue, Topeka. Consistent with Daun’s request, in lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Shriners Children’s Hospitals Travel Fund c/o Arab Shrine, 1305 S. Kansas Avenue, Topeka, KS.