July 31, 1944 – Feb. 14, 2019
Eileen Syme Horton passed away peacefully at home on the morning of Feb. 14, 2019, in Santa Barbara, California. She spent her final days surrounded by the love of friends and family, who will always remember her as a beautiful, loving, supportive and strong woman.
Eileen was born in Provo, Utah, on July 31, 1944, to George and Janice Syme, and was the fifth child of her parents’ six children.
Eileen always had a great love for music, and her instrument of choice was the French horn. She received many musical honors while in school, and continued to play after she graduated high school and began attending Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. It was there that she met her future husband Roger Horton, who also shared the same love for playing the French horn.
Eileen and Roger were married in Provo, Utah, on Aug. 7, 1964, and later moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, where Eileen worked in the payroll department at Grand Forks Air Force Base, while her husband served in the USAF.
They later moved to Santa Barbara, California, which was Roger’s hometown, where they found many lifelong friends, and had their two sons Eric and Brian.
Eileen was a loving wife and mother, but was also dedicated to her work at the University of California, where she excelled in the various roles she held, and cherished the many great friends she made there. Eileen and her husband were also co-owners of multiple successful restaurants in Santa Barbara called Omelettes Etc., where she put her exceptional organizational and accounting skills to good use.
Eileen had a fascination with dragons, and loved reading books by Anne McCaffrey about these wonderful mythical creatures. She also had a lifelong love for cats, and always had at least two feline friends to dote on in her home. She also enjoyed the intellectual exercise of completing the daily crossword puzzles in the News-Press, as well as her weekly games of mahjong with friends.
Eileen’s religious heritage was The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and she retained her dedication to the LDS church throughout her entire life. Eileen’s friends and family will miss her immensely, but take comfort knowing their angel is now resting in peace.
Friends are encouraged to join the family for a memorial on Saturday, March 30, from 2-3 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 2107 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara, California.