Ray L. Van Horn – age 96, of Pocahontas, passed away on Saturday, March 28, 2020, at his home in Pocahontas, Iowa.

Ray Leland Van Horn was born on April 5, 1923, in Williamsburg, Iowa. He was the son of Carl and Edith (Baird) Van Horn. At the age of seven he and his family moved to Hampton. He graduated in 1941 from Hampton High School. Ray worked at the Rock Island Arsenal before being drafted into the U.S. Army during W.W. II. He received his training in Arkansas and Alabama before being deployed to Africa. He took part in the invasion of Salerno in Italy and was wounded on January 6, 1945, near the French and German border. Ray spent a year recovering at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Denver, CO and was awarded the Purple Heart. He attended A.I.C. in Davenport, receiving his Accounting degree and meeting his wife-to-be, Ernella. On November 19, 1950, Ray was united in marriage to Ernella Balster at the United Methodist Church in Monmouth, Iowa. The couple lived in West Branch where Ray was employed by Johnson's Hatchery as an accountant. Ray and Ernella and their children moved to Pocahontas in August of 1958. Ray worked for the U.S.D.A – OIG as an auditor, to audit various government programs. He retired in 1983.

Ray was a member of the Hope United Methodist Church, V.F.W. and was a 75 year member of American Legion. He enjoyed bowling, hunting, fishing, traveling and especially golfing (earning two holes–in-one).

Survivors include his wife, Ernella; daughters, Kathy (Joe) Runchey of Wahpeton, IA and Cheryl (Terry) Brisbois of Pocahontas; grandchildren, Angela (Joe) Strobel, Jennifer (Andy) Boerjan and Mahmoud Karim; great-grandchildren, Payton and Brayden Strobel and Maya and Tyson Butler.

Ray was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Edith Van Horn; son, Russell; four brothers, Frank, Dean, Paul and Robert and a sister, Joan Likes.

PRIVATE FAMILY SERVICES WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, MARCH 31, AT THE POWERS FUNERAL HOME IN POCAHONTAS WITH BURIAL AT SUMMIT HILL CEMETERY IN POCAHONTAS WITH MILITARY RITES BY THE POCAHONTAS AMERICAN LEGION.