Horace Julian Fohn

by Bertha Fohn and Gwen Till

He learned Morse code (dots & dashes) and completed the radio course. Immediately after receiving his Radio Telegraph Operator license, he was employed by RCA as a Radio Operator on the SS Gulf Queen ship. For the next 4 or 5 years, he sailed on numerous ships transporting crude oil.

In 1934 he met Bertha Young in Port Arthur, Texas. She was the sister-in-law of the Chief Engineer on his ship. Bertha was one of 13 children born to Ella and Stephen Young in Sugartown, Louisiana. They were married a few months later in the rectory of the church, since Bertha was not a Catholic. Horace was devoutly Catholic and Bertha was so impressed by his example that she began to study the Catholic faith. A few years later, she joined the church becoming a committed and active member. She always said that she owed her faith to her husband. After their marriage, Horace continued to go to sea but settled on much shorter trips, traveling from the Gulf Coast to the East Coast and back again. Horace’s devotion to his faith was evident in the fact that whenever his ship docked, the first thing he did was to catch a cab to the nearest Catholic Church and check the times of Masses.

In 1935, Horace left the sea and he and his young wife moved to Del Rio where he worked at Radio Station XERA across the border in Villa Acuna, Mexico. Dr. John R. Brinkley, owner of the station, also owned a yacht based in Galveston. Horace was transferred to work on the yacht when the radio station closed. Dr. Brinkley was planning to take his yacht on a trip to China and Horace was to be a part of this trip. However, Horace chose to leave the dream of sailing to China in his wake because he and Bertha were expecting their first child. He went to work for Transradio Press in Wichita Falls, Texas where Gwen was born in 1936. Soon after, a new job opportunity surfaced and Horace began his career with the Federal Aeronautics Administration, the FAA, where he worked until his retirement in 1967. During this span of years he was stationed at Wink, Brownsville, Navasota, Beaumont, Fort Worth, and finally Austin where the family lived for 13 years. Their second child, Elberta, was born while they were in Navasota and the other three children, Kenneth, Larry and Chrissy were born in Austin.

During the Austin years, Horace often worked two jobs to meet the needs of his growing family. He also found time to be active in St. Austin’s parish where the children attended school. He was a faithful member of the Knights of Columbus eventually becoming a 4th degree member. Even with all these demands, he always found time to lend a helping hand when the bishop called to repair a radio, fix a sound system or set up a new TV. Yes, he was a familiar face at Bishop Reicher’s quarters.

It was about this time that Horace began to look toward his dream of buying some acreage and moving the family to the country. He, Bertha and the kids looked at many parcels of land, all around Austin. But close to his heart was a spot in Bastrop County where his brother Elmer lived. The family visited often, came for the annual bazaars and the Sunday evening dances at the parish hall. They were impressed with the Rockne area, especially the parish church. It was right in the middle of the community and all family life seemed centered around it. In 1955, Horace’s dream came true when he purchased 95.5 acres west of Rockne, on the road to Cedar Creek. Soon a small herd of cattle grazed the land and crops of peanuts, melons and vegetables took root. Not to be outdone, Bertha added long rows of her colorful zinnias at the back of the house. Horace commuted to his FAA job at the Municipal Airport in Austin for 12 years until 1967 when he retired. His retirement was short-lived though as the next year there was a shortage of radiotelegraph operators aboard ships and for the next 5 years he made short relief trips to the sea again.

Horace & Bertha’s life revolved around their five children, their grandchildren and their small ranch. Life was good. However their faith was tested in 1976 when their youngest son, Larry, was killed in a tragic auto accident. He left a young wife, Cherry and two little girls, 2 years and 6 months. As grandparents, Horace and Bertha encountered a new responsibility, helping Cherry with the little girls. But helping others was nothing new to this special couple. At Sacred Heart Parish, Horace and Bertha were always available to their pastor for whatever he might need. They could frequently be seen taking the elderly to mass, or neighbors to doctor appointments, etc. Horace continued to share his electronic expertise by fixing appliances for his neighbors in the Rockne community, charging only for the parts. He and Bertha were truly the happiest when they were helping others.

There was also a light side to Horace’s personality. His brothers had nicknamed him Jiggs, from the funny paper character because of his smile and his laugh and he always wore that familiar smile, never really meeting anyone he did not like. Kids especially were drawn to him and he always had to ruffle up their hair, or tease them in some way, and they loved it. He made up silly little nicknames for family members and friends and called the street in Lockhart where Gwen lived “Plum & Nelly”. He would buy candy for the grandkids, had fun opening up the package and having the first piece himself! His familiar goodbye to anyone leaving, young or old, was to say with a grin, “Now you go straight home!” In addition, when he was visiting, he would always get up to leave before it got dark, teasing that he had to hurry home to “feed the cows and milk the chickens.”

In 1991, Horace was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He battled this disease for 7 years before his death. He passed away at the Golden Age Home in Lockhart on July 2, 1998. Proof of their affection for this wonderful father and grandfather, the family kept a 24-hour vigil for the 3 weeks leading up to his death. His legacy will always include his faith in God, his love of his wife and family and his never-ending desire to be of help to others. His faithful service to God and his love of the sea were remembered on his tombstone with words from his favorite hymn, “Close to You I will Find Other Seas.”