Having been interested in the fire service since his teenage years, James F. Horton began his career in 1962, when he joined the Whittier Fire Department. Thirteen years later, the department was absorbed by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, where James would serve until his retirement in 1992. During his three decades of service, he took great pleasure in his work, relishing every opportunity to help others. In his free time, James was drawn to the outdoors, spending a great deal of time fishing and hunting with his firefighter friends. He is survived by his wife, Dixie, and two sons. James died in 1997 following a two-year battle with occupational lung cancer.