Velma Criswell Horner

Velma Criswell Horner  of Fort Lauderdale, Florida passed away peacefully on July 30, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the remarkable age of 101. She was born on July 15, 1925 in the house their father built in Lakeland, Florida, along with her twin sister, Vesta. The twins graduated from Fort Lauderdale High School in 1943.

Velma met her husband at the Naval Air Station in Fort Lauderdale.  They were married June 18th, 1948 at Park Temple Methodist Church, also in Fort Lauderdale.  Their three children were all born in Broward General Hospital.  

As soon as her children graduated from Plantation High School, she decided to take a trip to Europe, where her son, Fred, was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany.  The family enjoyed traveling  to Germany, France, Austria, Bavaria and Switzerland. There were some wonderful travels with her nieces and nephews as well.  We went to England and Texas with cousin Jack and LuAnne.  Various places enjoyed with cousins Richard and Jane, and their youngest daughter, Kristy(Daniel) North Carolina, Saint Augustine and an island in Maine, called Great Diamond Island, and the Everglades National Park.  Their daughter Kim (Steve) invited us on her wedding cruise.  Her twin sisters’ children, Neil (Harriett), Hank (Joe)and Mary (Albert) were always in our lives. We went up to see them nearly every summer in Dothan, Alabama.  Lots of family memories.  The house she lived in was purchased in 1967 for her mother, Mary Ruby Jones Criswell, and then to her as she moved into the house.

With all the children in college, she started her working career, mainly as a pharmacy technician at Florida Medical Center.  She worked for twenty years, and then started the next phase of her life, retiring.  Velma and Laurelsue traveled a lot for quite a few years, and were able to enjoy nature, collecting shells, fossils, rocks, crystals, sea glass and visiting and traveling with family.  

Velma’s long life stands as a beautiful tapestry—each year a thread woven with love, service, and perseverance. Though she is no longer with us, her memory will live on in those fortunate enough to have been touched by her kindness and devotion and love.