Jean Marie Horton

1949 - 2024

Jean Marie Horton

July 7, 1949 - September 9, 2024

Merriam, Kansas - Jean Marie Horton, 75, of Merriam, Kansas, passed away peacefully at her home on Sept. 9, 2024. Jean was born on July 7, 1949, in Kansas City, Missouri, to William Chapman and Juanita Baert. Jean loved to shop, gab, and dine with her close friends and family. She was fashionably "late always" and loved her games, puzzles, reruns of classic television and - perhaps most importantly - her soap operas. Jean and her husband owned and operated a successful freight company for decades, along with a grocery store and several other local businesses. This allowed her the freedom to spend most of her time at home raising her three girls and, in later years, caring for her grandchildren and bonus grandchildren, where a new adventure and a new story were always to be found. Jean is survived by her two daughters, Shelly Barnes (Ron) and Lisa Simkins; three grandsons, Austin, Joshua (Kayla), and Colby Barnes; and one soon-to-arrive great-grandson. She is also survived by two step-siblings; her devoted caregiver, and numerous extended family and friends. Jean was preceded in death by her parents; her stepmother, Lucetta Chapman; her daughter, Leslie Horton; her granddaughter, Stephanie Simkins; and her beloved husband, Michael Horton. A graveside celebration of Jean's life will be held at 10 a.m. on Sept. 14 at Maple Hill Funeral Home in Kansas City, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, Jean's family has requested donations be made in her honor to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.