Clyde Horton Jr.

Clyde Horton, Jr - Obituary

On August 31, 2023, Clyde Horton, Jr, 73, of Gaithersburg, Md, passed away peacefully at Casey House in Rockville, MD with his beloved family at his side.

Clyde, the oldest of four children, was born on November 7, 1949, to Clide Horton and Eardine Perry Horton in Portsmouth, Va. After Clyde graduated from high school, he studied Accounting at Norfolk State University.

In 1975, Clyde married Marian Crutchfield White in Elizabeth City, NC.

Clyde is survived by his wife Marian and their two children - daughter Marcia White and son Benjamin Horton (Elizabeth).  Three grand animals, including a grand dog Charley (aka Charlotte Clydette) and two grand cats Jax and Duke, round out the family.

Clyde is also survived by his brother Anthony Horton (Luz Torres), sister Stephanie Horton, nephews Shawn Reed and Maurice Bess, and nieces Nicole K. Horton and Michelle Bess.

Clyde is preceded in death by his parents Clide and Eardine Horton, and sister Joyce Reed.

Clyde was known for his booming voice that enthralled any space he entered. His personality lit up the room wherever he was.   He was known as the “mayor” of the Kentlands community, and he took that role very seriously. Every Labor Day weekend you could find him on his corner cheering and encouraging the racers in the annual Kentlands 5K. He was generous with service to his community, especially the Kentlands Kingfish, which gives out the Mr. Horton award for “love, support, enthusiasm” in his honor.

He loved all things lemon and apple and would judge the quality of a restaurant based on its selection of apple desserts. The waitstaff could never tell if he was serious when he admonished them for not having apple desserts on their menu. Hot dogs brought him more joy than anyone may know and were the first thing he requested after his successful kidney transplant. The Godfather movies were his favorite; their theme song was his ring tone. The beach was his happy place; if he was at the beach, life was good.

Professionally, Clyde was privileged to have three separate careers during his lifetime.

In the first, he worked in a corporate environment for General Electric, Fiberweb North America as a Financial Manager, and as a Training and Development Manager for James River Corporation.

In his second career, he received a Graduate Certification in Organizational/Change Management from John Hopkins. He formed his own company (The Horton Group, LLC); he was an organizational development/diversity consultant and organizational leadership/operational coach.  During this time, he also was Adjunct Faculty at American University and the Uniformed Services University, a presenter at Georgetown University, and a Senior Fellow at George Washington University. 

His third career was his favorite, in which he was still active at the time of his death. He was a certified Life, Relationship (Level III PAIRS Leader), and Trauma coach.  His work involved coaching, mentoring, counseling, and trauma processing.  He described his work as helping people achieve a happy and meaningful life.  

Of all his accomplishments, he claimed his best work was his children.  He genuinely enjoyed people and he was honored to work with some wonderful people during his lifetime.  He always looked at life in terms of what he had, not what he was missing.  There was a lot of laughter and joy in his life.

Clyde was a simple but complicated man. He had an enormous heart and wonderful sense of humor. He was generous, loyal, and brave. He was clever and full of knowledge gained throughout his life experiences.  Many sought his counsel and guidance throughout the years.

He will be remembered for the love and support that he shared with his family and friends. He truly loved each of them and if you knew him, you knew it. His was a life well lived, as he made an impact on many lives. He will be forever missed.

A visitation will be held on September 9, 2023; a celebration of life is scheduled for September 29, 2023.

In lieu of flowers, that family asks that a donation be made in memory of Clyde Horton to either MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute or Casey House – Montgomery Hospice.

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