Daniel Clifton Horton

Daniel Clifton Horton, 77, of Hot Springs, passed away July 14, 2018. He was born April 8, 1941, in Augusta, Arkansas, to Clifton and Lucille Rook Horton. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother-in-law, Rev. Stacy Ollar Jr. Dan is survived by his wife of 52 years, Linda Myers Horton, of the home; his daughter, Jennifer Horton Tucker and son-in-law Jody of Benton; and his grandchildren, Trevor and Sarah Tucker. He is also survived by his sister, Ann Ollar, of Kansas City, Kan.; his brother, Gary Horton (Wanda) of Hensley, Arkansas; his nieces, Rene Ollar Poole and Lisa Ollar of Kansas City; nephew, Mike Horton (Kisa), of Hensley; niece, Tonya Horton of Benton; nephew ,Chris Horton of Benton; and niece, Jill Free (Mike) of Sherwood; as well as several other nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews. Dan attended Little Rock Central High School during the Central High Crisis, and eventually graduated from Marshall High School in 1959. He served in the United States Army from 1962-1964, where he attended Officers Candidate School and reached the rank of Lieutenant. He was stationed on the Czech border in Germany during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After his honorable discharge from the Army, he joined the Army Reserves Special Forces. He attended college on the G.I. Bill, and graduated from Little Rock University (UA--Little Rock) with a B.S. in Accounting, and later became a graduate of the Corporate Financial Management Program at Harvard University Business School. He began his career in Accounting with Ernst & Ernst, and later became First Arkansas Bankstock Corporation's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer before starting his own financial consulting business called Horton & Associates, Inc., in the 1980s. After years of advising clients in bank acquisitions, he served as Chairman and CEO of First National Bank, and as a Director of its successor, Bear State Bank. Beyond his work, his primary passions were fishing and spending time with his grandchildren and special grand dog, Tootsie Roll. He also had a passion for cars, which he shared with his friend Don Ryburn. Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. Thursday at Caruth-Hale Funeral Home, 155 Section Line Road, Hot Springs, Arkansas. A memorial service will be 2 p.m. Friday at Caruth-Hale Funeral Home. Interment will be at Rockport Cemetery in Malvern. Pallbearers include Mike Horton, Chris Horton, Greg Black, Chris Barnes, Jody Tucker, and Jason Lenderman. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Arkansas Game & Fish Foundation. Guests may register at www.caruth-hale.com.