Cowden Wiley "C.W." Horton of Florence, who enjoyed reading flowery obituary clichs, earned his angel wings; peacefully departed this life; and stopped dying and started living with the Lord on June 25 at age 85, dying of gallbladder cancer at home. His funeral service is at 2 p.m. June 27 in Elkins East Chapel. His family will receive friends 12:30-2 p.m. Saturday, June 27, 2015. Burial will follow at Tri-Cities Memorial Gardens.

Cowden and his twin sister, Carolyn, were born in Alabama City 45 days before the Wall Street Crash of 1929. He was the youngest of Claude and Lucille Horton''s five children. The family moved a few times; the twins graduated from Coffee High School in 1947.

Cowden enrolled at Florence State Teachers College, then was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. While at what is now the University of North Alabama, Cowden met Virginia Lynn Fuqua; they married on June 21, 1953.

After graduating from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Cowden in 1960 began his career with the Tennessee Valley Authority. He officially worked as an electrical engineer, but his children believed for years that he was also in charge of shutting the tornado gates whenever bad weather threatened. He retired from TVA in 1988.

Cowden had a sharp mind, could repair or build everything, read science fiction and enjoyed the camaraderie of golf and poker. He was a longtime member of the Property Committee of Edgemont United Methodist Church.

Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Virginia Horton; their children Leigh Ann (Bill McKelway), Mark (Shannon), Mary Lynn (Lyn Tipton) and David; nine grandchildren; three great-granddaughters; and two sisters (Martha Wear and Aubyn Adams). The family especially thanks longtime helper Amanda Hill and hospice nurse Rosa Darby.

If you would like to honor Cowden Horton, please consider donating to the Alabama Boys and Girls Ranch, 2680 Bell Road, Montgomery, AL 36117. 1-800-548-4256 or www.boysandgirlsranches.org