Roger Lee Horton

Roger Lee Horton passed away peacefully on January 24th, surrounded by his family, who will always remember him as a great man, husband, and an exceptional father.

Roger was born in Urbana, Illinois on June 15th, 1940, to Richard Horton and Dorothy Norton.

Had his parents not been struck by wanderlust, his life story would have been very different, but they felt the magical allure of sunny Santa Barbara, with its beautiful beaches and majestic mountains, and set off to make the idyllic town their new home.

Roger was still in grade school when they made the move, and lifelong friend Wardlee Smith Meyer recalls him being full of charisma even back in the 6th grade when they were both students at Cold Spring School.

Planes, trains, and automobiles were a lifelong passion in Roger’s life. During his younger years, Roger built model airplanes, and flew them in competitions of distance. Anyone who knew Roger also knew his love for cars, and he went on to own many unique vehicles, including his Vintage Volvo which he had kept since he first purchased it back in 1963.

Music also played a very important role in Roger’s life and his decision to take up the French Horn at Santa Barbara Junior High would be more important than even he knew at the time (more on that later). Roger went on to graduate from Santa Barbara High School before moving on to UCSB, where he graduated with a BA in Economics. By this time, the Vietnam war was in full swing, and Roger enlisted in the United States Airforce. His dream would have been to fly, but his poor eyesight meant he had to look for other ways to excel, and that he did, receiving several awards for his service, including a commendation medal for outstanding accomplishments as a logistics officer.

While Roger was stationed in Ogden, Utah, he decided to look for a concert band where he could play his French Horn. He ended up finding one at Weber State College, where he also met his future wife Eileen Syme, who also just happened to be an accomplished French Horn player herself. The rest as they say is history, and they were married on August 7th, 1964, in Orem, Utah.

Shortly thereafter, Roger received orders to transfer to Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. It was at this time that he also began attending the University of North Dakota, where he would go on to graduate with a master’s degree in management.

Roger and Eileen would next move back to Santa Barbara, where they would settle down, have two sons (Eric and Brian), and Roger would begin working as an Assistant Chancellor for his Alma Mater at UCSB.

Roger and Eileen also had entrepreneurial aspirations and co-owned several restaurants including Omelettes Etc. in Downtown Santa Barbara and Isla Vista, and Fred C. Dobbs in Montecito.

But Roger’s biggest aspirations were rooted in his dedication to preserving and bettering the Santa Barbara he grew up in and ensuring that those in need always had a helping hand. And it was this dedication to the community that ultimately led him to run for Santa Barbara City Council, where he went on to serve two accomplished terms.

In addition to his efforts to preserve the beauty and charm of Santa Barbara, Roger was also a huge proponent of commuter rail, which he hoped would ease the pressure on traffic in and out of town. Roger was also a visionary leader in support of early childhood education, and worked tirelessly to ensure that all children had the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Roger will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure to meet him, but his friends and family take comfort in the truly wonderful life he was able to live.

Friends are welcome to join the family for a Celebration of Life on Saturday, March 16th at 2:00PM at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, located at 1535 Santa Barbara St.