Jessie Mae Olivia Veronica Boone Horton was born May 28, 1926 in St. Stephen, South Carolina.  She was the youngest of six siblings born to the late John D. Boone, Sr. and Jessie O. Freeman Boone of St. Stephen, SC. Preceding her in death were her brothers, Carlton T. Boone, Rev. John D. Boone, Jr., and Angelo P. Boone and her sisters, Pearl Boone Shecut and Olease Boone McCray.

Jessie was educated in the primary schools of St. Stephen, SC.  At the age of 18, she went to live with the Grant family in Charleston to attend J. E. Burke Industrial High School where she graduated in 1944.  After graduating from high school, Jessie moved to Columbia, SC to attend nursing school.  There she attended Good Samaritan - Waverly Hospital Training School of Nursing, founded in 1924 as the only training facility exclusively for black nurses.  Upon graduation in 1948, Jessie wanted to spread her wings, so she moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she lived with Aunt Adele Ulett, her mother's sister.

Upon Jessie's arrival in Philadelphia, she secured her first nursing position at the Women's Hospital.  She left Women's Hospital and was employed at Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia, where she cared for patients with love and devotion in the ICU for 40 years until her retirement at the age of 62.

Not long after arriving in Philadelphia, Jessie met Irving J. Horton, Jr. of Camden, New Jersey.  They were married on April 16, 1950 and had two children, Irving Joseph Horton, III and Sandra Michele Horton (Henry).  After twenty-five years of marriage, the couple divorced in December 1975.  Jessie remained a woman of faith and went on to raise her daughter as a single parent.

Jessie was a regular church attender and after retirement, she became more involved in church activities.  She served as an usher at the Holy Temple Church of God in Christ for several years.  And for anyone who knew Jessie, she would not be caught attending church without a fancy hat donning her crown of long, dark brown hair which she always wore in a bun.

While attending Holy Temple Church of God in Christ, she met Evangelist Bernice J. Ballard and Dr. Patricia Powell.  The three joined forces to broadcast a weekly radio program.  Jessie was the prayer warrior of the trio for seven years.  In her continued work for the Lord, she shared in prayer with a group of drug addicted men.

At the active age of 85, Jessie took a fall while running errands around Philadelphia and broke her left hip.  At this turn of events, it was time for Jessie to move. She relocated to Fairfax, Virginia where she lived with her daughter and family for six months while she recovered from her hip replacement.  Upon her recovery, her home in Philadelphia of over 60 years was later sold and she moved into her own senior independent apartment near her daughter and family in Fairfax, Virginia.  While a resident of Olley Glen Senior Living, she continued her love of gardening, singing with the apartment residents and renewing her love of art. She frequently painted birds and gave them away as gifts.

In November of 2017, Jessie was baptized at Fairfax Community Church along with her eldest grandson, Maynard Henry, Jr. Jessie continued to live independently until October 2018 when her health started to decline.  At that point, she moved in with her daughter and son-in-law and remained with them until her passing.

Jessie accepted Christ as a young child. She was a devoted and faithful woman of God, strong in her faith and conviction of Christ as her Lord and Savior.  She would witness to people wherever she went. She ran a good race and is home with the Lord.

Although it may appear the family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same, as God calls us home, one by one, the chain will link again.  Jessie leaves an abundance of cherished memories:  a son, Irving Joseph Horton, III (Philadelphia, PA), a daughter, Sandra Michele Henry (Fairfax, VA), son-in-law, Maynard M. Henry, Sr. (Fairfax, VA), grandsons, Maynard M. Henry, Jr. (Fairfax, VA) and Joseph James Henry (Fairfax, VA), a sister-in-law, Gladys L. Boone (Summerville, SC) and a host of loving nieces, nephews, cousins and devoted friends.

Viewing will be held Friday, September 25, 2020 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. A Graveside Service will be held Saturday, September 26, 2020, 11:00 a.m., at Zion-Mack Cemetery, St. Stephen, SC. As per CDC guidelines, please wear a face mask and practice social distancing.

The service will be live-streamed on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/gethersfh