La Dora "Jane" Van Horne

La Dora "Jane" Van Horne 85, passed away quietly into the arms of our Lord on December 4, 2005 at the home of one of her daughters in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Jane was born June 7, 1920 to Lawrence Dudley Birdsall and Jenny Mae Hebron Birdsall, Black Angus cattle ranchers and homesteaders in Gillette, Wyoming. Jane left Wyoming following high school to attend and graduate from St. John's Nursing School in Rapid City, South Dakota. In 1943, Jane moved to Pasadena, California to work as a registered nurse at St. Luke's Hospital. As destiny would have it, Jane met the love of her life, dear Robert "Bob" Van Horne, the son of one of her patients. They were married in St. Louis, Missouri, where Robert, a U.S. Army Corps Technical Sergeant was stationed, on October 21, 1944. Following the war, the couple moved back to Pasadena, Robert working for the U.S. Bureau of Internal Revenue and Jane as an R.N. Due to promotions and transfers, the couple moved to the San Fernando Valley in 1951 and to Ojai in 1959. It was in Ojai where Jane became active in charity fund raising, most notably, chairwoman of St. Joseph's Convalescent Hospital Charity Ball. Jane and Robert moved twice more in the 1960's and 1970's, first to Westchester, a suburb of Los Angeles, then to Ventura, California. Due to his declining health from Parkinson's Disease, Robert retired although Jane continued her nursing career at St. John of God Convalescent Hospital and Ventura Community Hospital. Jane's love and devotion for family brought on new challenges during this time. She simultaneously nursed her dear husband and Robert's "Auntie Myrt", the later requiring recuperation and convalescence following a hip fracture from a fall. In 1987, Jane and Robert moved to the last home they would share together in Newport Beach, California. It was there that Robert passed away one year later. Jane continued her involvement in charitable causes, most notably fundraising for St. Joachim's Catholic Church in Costa Mesa. Finally, in 2001, Jane moved to Scottsdale, Arizona to be closer to her daughter Nancy. Jane loved her new place at Sierra Pointe where she made many friends and found a dear companion, Frank Ryan. Jane will always be remembered by her family and friends as a loving, kind, generous and beautiful woman. She was a wonderful role model as a daughter, wife, mother, friend and career woman. Jane is survived by daughters Janet Macauley (Tim) of Alpine, California; Nancy Mario (Tom) of Paradise Valley, Arizona; Michele Murphy (Joe) of Jonesboro, Arkansas; 4 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Jane is predeceased by her brother Dudley Birdsall. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, December 7, 2005, from 4:00 to 7:00 P.M. at Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 East Indian School Rd., Phoenix. Funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of Assumption Church on Friday, December 9, 2005 at 10:00 A.M., followed by entombment handled by Ted Mahr Funeral Home at Ivy Lawn Cemetery in Ventura, California. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Jane's name may be made to Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flower St., Phoenix, AZ 85014.

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