Verne “B” Horne, 94, passed away on June 1, 2015, at Midland Hospice House in Topeka. Born in 1921, she grew up on a farm in Illinois surrounded by a large extended family.
She started her career after college as a librarian at Evanston Township High School in 1943, where she met James B. Horne, then a senior, who would later become her husband. B married Jim Horne in 1952. Their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1953.
B and Jim lived in Hayden, Colorado from 1954 to 1960, where he was a general practitioner and she worked as his office manager and nurse. At that time they were the only medical resource for a 25 mile radius.
They moved to Topeka in 1960 so that Jim could complete a psychiatric residency at the Menninger Foundation. B was an occupational therapist at the Topeka State Hospital and later the Archivist of the Menninger Foundation, where she worked very closely with Dr. Karl Menninger.
B survived a robbery and kidnapping in 1989 that left three of her neighbors dead. She went on to work with family members of murder victims through Parents of Murdered Children, and to teach a class segment on victims with Walt Menninger in the Washburn Criminal Justice program. For many years she knew almost all of the members of the Topeka Police Department.
B lived for the last 17 years of her life at Brewster Place, where she was active as a volunteer.
B will be remembered by her remaining family: her daughter Elizabeth, son-in-law Erik Deumens, grandchildren Eleanor, 26, and Edward, 18; her nieces and nephews Linda Ragain, Larry and Pat Ragain, and Joan Wright; and her friends that became family, David and Mary Walker, Doyle and Maureen Comfort, and Pedro Irigonegaray and Janet Loebel.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Brewster Place Continuing Care Fund, 1205 SW 29th St., Topeka, KS 66611 or the Cat Association of Topeka, 1719 SW Gage Blvd., Topeka, KS 66604.
The memorial service will be June 27 at First Congregational Church, 1701 Collins, Topeka. There will be time for friends and family at 4:00 p.m., and the service will start at 4:30 p.m.
*****************************************************
Verne "B" Horne, Topekan who escaped from kidnapper in 1989, dies at 94
Horne testified against man who murdered three of her friends
Posted: June 6, 2015 - 8:21pm
Related Links
By Tim Hrenchir
[email protected]
Verne “B” Horne, who escaped from the kidnapper who murdered three of her friends in 1989 and later helped put him behind bars for life, died this past week at age 94.
Horne died Monday at Midland Hospice House in Topeka, according to obituary information provided to The Topeka Capital-Journal.
Horne was married 58 years to psychiatrist Dr. James B. Horne, who died in 2010 in Topeka. She worked as his office manager and nurse before they moved in 1960 to Topeka, where she was an occupational therapist at Topeka State Hospital and later the archivist of the Menninger Foundation. The Hornes’ survivors include a daughter and two grandchildren.
B Horne and two neighbors were abducted in December 1989 by Tyrone Baker, then 19, and his girlfriend, 18-year-old Lisa Pfannenstiel. The couple broke into the home in Topeka’s upscale Westboro community of the Hornes’ neighbor, 72-year-old widow Ida Mae Dougherty, who was then robbed at gunpoint and suffocated. Baker and Pfannenstiel used Dougherty’s car to drive to a hilly part of western Douglas County, where they left the body under leaves.
The couple returned to Dougherty’s home and spent the night before Horne and her neighbor, 87-year-old Lester Haley, came to check on Dougherty the next morning. Baker accosted them at gunpoint, then did the same with Haley’s wife, 69-year-old Nancy Haley, when she arrived soon afterward.
Horne later said this happened next:
Baker forced his captives into the back seat of Dougherty’s car and drove it to western Douglas County. He held a gun on them as they walked about 200 yards, then told them to lie face down on the side of the road. He cocked the handgun and pointed it at Horne’s head.
Horne had once read about three “rules” for dealing with kidnappers, and one was not to turn away. She refused, saying “Whatever you do to me, you have to do with me facing you.”
Horne told Baker that if he killed them he would be a murderer, a young man facing a lifetime in prison. She offered Baker $1,000 to let them go. The Haleys agreed to sweeten the pot.
Baker replied that he didn’t know if he had really killed Dougherty. Horne suggested he leave and check where he had left her. She said she would swear on a Bible — if she had one — that she and the Haleys would wait for him.
Baker drove off to check. Horne and the Haleys then fled on foot. Horne, who wasn’t as frail as the couple, suggested they hide while she went to get help. Baker caught up with the Haleys and shot them to death.
Horne ran alone through the hills, at one point seeing Dougherty’s car drive slowly past as she hid in the woods. After about three hours, she hailed a passing car and was taken to safety.
Police arrested Baker and Pfannenstiel after hearing from acquaintances who had learned of their involvement and realized the gravity of the situation, which had brought a CNN crew to Topeka.
Horne testified against Baker during trials in which he was convicted of crimes that included three counts of first-degree murder. He is an inmate at Lansing Correctional Facility and won’t be eligible for parole until 2091.
Pfannenstiel accepted a plea agreement through which she pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary. She was released from prison in December 1993.
Horne told The Capital-Journal in 2003 that the crimes left her with an overwhelming sense of rage, grief, helplessness and thirst for revenge. But she said she came to a personal crossroads and decided that, rather than spend the rest of her life consumed by bitterness, she would rediscover the joy of life.
Horne became a volunteer at the Topeka Police Department, where her obituary said she knew almost all the officers. She also worked with family members of murder victims through Parents of Murdered Children, and taught a class segment on victims with the Menninger Foundation’s Walt Menninger in the criminal justice program at Washburn University, her obituary said.
Horne told The Capital-Journal she also met with Pfannenstiel and her mother shortly after her release.
Horne, who never saw Pfannenstiel during the abduction, said that when the young woman left, “She was at peace about the thing, and so was I.”
She started her career after college as a librarian at Evanston Township High School in 1943, where she met James B. Horne, then a senior, who would later become her husband. B married Jim Horne in 1952. Their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1953.
B and Jim lived in Hayden, Colorado from 1954 to 1960, where he was a general practitioner and she worked as his office manager and nurse. At that time they were the only medical resource for a 25 mile radius.
They moved to Topeka in 1960 so that Jim could complete a psychiatric residency at the Menninger Foundation. B was an occupational therapist at the Topeka State Hospital and later the Archivist of the Menninger Foundation, where she worked very closely with Dr. Karl Menninger.
B survived a robbery and kidnapping in 1989 that left three of her neighbors dead. She went on to work with family members of murder victims through Parents of Murdered Children, and to teach a class segment on victims with Walt Menninger in the Washburn Criminal Justice program. For many years she knew almost all of the members of the Topeka Police Department.
B lived for the last 17 years of her life at Brewster Place, where she was active as a volunteer.
B will be remembered by her remaining family: her daughter Elizabeth, son-in-law Erik Deumens, grandchildren Eleanor, 26, and Edward, 18; her nieces and nephews Linda Ragain, Larry and Pat Ragain, and Joan Wright; and her friends that became family, David and Mary Walker, Doyle and Maureen Comfort, and Pedro Irigonegaray and Janet Loebel.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Brewster Place Continuing Care Fund, 1205 SW 29th St., Topeka, KS 66611 or the Cat Association of Topeka, 1719 SW Gage Blvd., Topeka, KS 66604.
The memorial service will be June 27 at First Congregational Church, 1701 Collins, Topeka. There will be time for friends and family at 4:00 p.m., and the service will start at 4:30 p.m.
*****************************************************
Verne "B" Horne, Topekan who escaped from kidnapper in 1989, dies at 94
Horne testified against man who murdered three of her friends
Posted: June 6, 2015 - 8:21pm
Related Links
By Tim Hrenchir
[email protected]
Verne “B” Horne, who escaped from the kidnapper who murdered three of her friends in 1989 and later helped put him behind bars for life, died this past week at age 94.
Horne died Monday at Midland Hospice House in Topeka, according to obituary information provided to The Topeka Capital-Journal.
Horne was married 58 years to psychiatrist Dr. James B. Horne, who died in 2010 in Topeka. She worked as his office manager and nurse before they moved in 1960 to Topeka, where she was an occupational therapist at Topeka State Hospital and later the archivist of the Menninger Foundation. The Hornes’ survivors include a daughter and two grandchildren.
B Horne and two neighbors were abducted in December 1989 by Tyrone Baker, then 19, and his girlfriend, 18-year-old Lisa Pfannenstiel. The couple broke into the home in Topeka’s upscale Westboro community of the Hornes’ neighbor, 72-year-old widow Ida Mae Dougherty, who was then robbed at gunpoint and suffocated. Baker and Pfannenstiel used Dougherty’s car to drive to a hilly part of western Douglas County, where they left the body under leaves.
The couple returned to Dougherty’s home and spent the night before Horne and her neighbor, 87-year-old Lester Haley, came to check on Dougherty the next morning. Baker accosted them at gunpoint, then did the same with Haley’s wife, 69-year-old Nancy Haley, when she arrived soon afterward.
Horne later said this happened next:
Baker forced his captives into the back seat of Dougherty’s car and drove it to western Douglas County. He held a gun on them as they walked about 200 yards, then told them to lie face down on the side of the road. He cocked the handgun and pointed it at Horne’s head.
Horne had once read about three “rules” for dealing with kidnappers, and one was not to turn away. She refused, saying “Whatever you do to me, you have to do with me facing you.”
Horne told Baker that if he killed them he would be a murderer, a young man facing a lifetime in prison. She offered Baker $1,000 to let them go. The Haleys agreed to sweeten the pot.
Baker replied that he didn’t know if he had really killed Dougherty. Horne suggested he leave and check where he had left her. She said she would swear on a Bible — if she had one — that she and the Haleys would wait for him.
Baker drove off to check. Horne and the Haleys then fled on foot. Horne, who wasn’t as frail as the couple, suggested they hide while she went to get help. Baker caught up with the Haleys and shot them to death.
Horne ran alone through the hills, at one point seeing Dougherty’s car drive slowly past as she hid in the woods. After about three hours, she hailed a passing car and was taken to safety.
Police arrested Baker and Pfannenstiel after hearing from acquaintances who had learned of their involvement and realized the gravity of the situation, which had brought a CNN crew to Topeka.
Horne testified against Baker during trials in which he was convicted of crimes that included three counts of first-degree murder. He is an inmate at Lansing Correctional Facility and won’t be eligible for parole until 2091.
Pfannenstiel accepted a plea agreement through which she pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary. She was released from prison in December 1993.
Horne told The Capital-Journal in 2003 that the crimes left her with an overwhelming sense of rage, grief, helplessness and thirst for revenge. But she said she came to a personal crossroads and decided that, rather than spend the rest of her life consumed by bitterness, she would rediscover the joy of life.
Horne became a volunteer at the Topeka Police Department, where her obituary said she knew almost all the officers. She also worked with family members of murder victims through Parents of Murdered Children, and taught a class segment on victims with the Menninger Foundation’s Walt Menninger in the criminal justice program at Washburn University, her obituary said.
Horne told The Capital-Journal she also met with Pfannenstiel and her mother shortly after her release.
Horne, who never saw Pfannenstiel during the abduction, said that when the young woman left, “She was at peace about the thing, and so was I.”
Verne “B” Horne, 94, passed away on June 1, 2015, at Midland Hospice House in Topeka. Born in 1921, she grew up on a farm in Illinois surrounded by a large extended family.
She started her career after college as a librarian at Evanston Township High School in 1943, where she met James B. Horne, then a senior, who would later become her husband. B married Jim Horne in 1952. Their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1953.
B and Jim lived in Hayden, Colorado from 1954 to 1960, where he was a general practitioner and she worked as his office manager and nurse. At that time they were the only medical resource for a 25 mile radius.
They moved to Topeka in 1960 so that Jim could complete a psychiatric residency at the Menninger Foundation. B was an occupational therapist at the Topeka State Hospital and later the Archivist of the Menninger Foundation, where she worked very closely with Dr. Karl Menninger.
B survived a robbery and kidnapping in 1989 that left three of her neighbors dead. She went on to work with family members of murder victims through Parents of Murdered Children, and to teach a class segment on victims with Walt Menninger in the Washburn Criminal Justice program. For many years she knew almost all of the members of the Topeka Police Department.
B lived for the last 17 years of her life at Brewster Place, where she was active as a volunteer.
B will be remembered by her remaining family: her daughter Elizabeth, son-in-law Erik Deumens, grandchildren Eleanor, 26, and Edward, 18; her nieces and nephews Linda Ragain, Larry and Pat Ragain, and Joan Wright; and her friends that became family, David and Mary Walker, Doyle and Maureen Comfort, and Pedro Irigonegaray and Janet Loebel.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Brewster Place Continuing Care Fund, 1205 SW 29th St., Topeka, KS 66611 or the Cat Association of Topeka, 1719 SW Gage Blvd., Topeka, KS 66604.
The memorial service will be June 27 at First Congregational Church, 1701 Collins, Topeka. There will be time for friends and family at 4:00 p.m., and the service will start at 4:30 p.m.
*****************************************************
Verne "B" Horne, Topekan who escaped from kidnapper in 1989, dies at 94
Horne testified against man who murdered three of her friends
Posted: June 6, 2015 - 8:21pm
Related Links
By Tim Hrenchir
[email protected]
Verne “B” Horne, who escaped from the kidnapper who murdered three of her friends in 1989 and later helped put him behind bars for life, died this past week at age 94.
Horne died Monday at Midland Hospice House in Topeka, according to obituary information provided to The Topeka Capital-Journal.
Horne was married 58 years to psychiatrist Dr. James B. Horne, who died in 2010 in Topeka. She worked as his office manager and nurse before they moved in 1960 to Topeka, where she was an occupational therapist at Topeka State Hospital and later the archivist of the Menninger Foundation. The Hornes’ survivors include a daughter and two grandchildren.
B Horne and two neighbors were abducted in December 1989 by Tyrone Baker, then 19, and his girlfriend, 18-year-old Lisa Pfannenstiel. The couple broke into the home in Topeka’s upscale Westboro community of the Hornes’ neighbor, 72-year-old widow Ida Mae Dougherty, who was then robbed at gunpoint and suffocated. Baker and Pfannenstiel used Dougherty’s car to drive to a hilly part of western Douglas County, where they left the body under leaves.
The couple returned to Dougherty’s home and spent the night before Horne and her neighbor, 87-year-old Lester Haley, came to check on Dougherty the next morning. Baker accosted them at gunpoint, then did the same with Haley’s wife, 69-year-old Nancy Haley, when she arrived soon afterward.
Horne later said this happened next:
Baker forced his captives into the back seat of Dougherty’s car and drove it to western Douglas County. He held a gun on them as they walked about 200 yards, then told them to lie face down on the side of the road. He cocked the handgun and pointed it at Horne’s head.
Horne had once read about three “rules” for dealing with kidnappers, and one was not to turn away. She refused, saying “Whatever you do to me, you have to do with me facing you.”
Horne told Baker that if he killed them he would be a murderer, a young man facing a lifetime in prison. She offered Baker $1,000 to let them go. The Haleys agreed to sweeten the pot.
Baker replied that he didn’t know if he had really killed Dougherty. Horne suggested he leave and check where he had left her. She said she would swear on a Bible — if she had one — that she and the Haleys would wait for him.
Baker drove off to check. Horne and the Haleys then fled on foot. Horne, who wasn’t as frail as the couple, suggested they hide while she went to get help. Baker caught up with the Haleys and shot them to death.
Horne ran alone through the hills, at one point seeing Dougherty’s car drive slowly past as she hid in the woods. After about three hours, she hailed a passing car and was taken to safety.
Police arrested Baker and Pfannenstiel after hearing from acquaintances who had learned of their involvement and realized the gravity of the situation, which had brought a CNN crew to Topeka.
Horne testified against Baker during trials in which he was convicted of crimes that included three counts of first-degree murder. He is an inmate at Lansing Correctional Facility and won’t be eligible for parole until 2091.
Pfannenstiel accepted a plea agreement through which she pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary. She was released from prison in December 1993.
Horne told The Capital-Journal in 2003 that the crimes left her with an overwhelming sense of rage, grief, helplessness and thirst for revenge. But she said she came to a personal crossroads and decided that, rather than spend the rest of her life consumed by bitterness, she would rediscover the joy of life.
Horne became a volunteer at the Topeka Police Department, where her obituary said she knew almost all the officers. She also worked with family members of murder victims through Parents of Murdered Children, and taught a class segment on victims with the Menninger Foundation’s Walt Menninger in the criminal justice program at Washburn University, her obituary said.
Horne told The Capital-Journal she also met with Pfannenstiel and her mother shortly after her release.
Horne, who never saw Pfannenstiel during the abduction, said that when the young woman left, “She was at peace about the thing, and so was I.”
She started her career after college as a librarian at Evanston Township High School in 1943, where she met James B. Horne, then a senior, who would later become her husband. B married Jim Horne in 1952. Their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1953.
B and Jim lived in Hayden, Colorado from 1954 to 1960, where he was a general practitioner and she worked as his office manager and nurse. At that time they were the only medical resource for a 25 mile radius.
They moved to Topeka in 1960 so that Jim could complete a psychiatric residency at the Menninger Foundation. B was an occupational therapist at the Topeka State Hospital and later the Archivist of the Menninger Foundation, where she worked very closely with Dr. Karl Menninger.
B survived a robbery and kidnapping in 1989 that left three of her neighbors dead. She went on to work with family members of murder victims through Parents of Murdered Children, and to teach a class segment on victims with Walt Menninger in the Washburn Criminal Justice program. For many years she knew almost all of the members of the Topeka Police Department.
B lived for the last 17 years of her life at Brewster Place, where she was active as a volunteer.
B will be remembered by her remaining family: her daughter Elizabeth, son-in-law Erik Deumens, grandchildren Eleanor, 26, and Edward, 18; her nieces and nephews Linda Ragain, Larry and Pat Ragain, and Joan Wright; and her friends that became family, David and Mary Walker, Doyle and Maureen Comfort, and Pedro Irigonegaray and Janet Loebel.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Brewster Place Continuing Care Fund, 1205 SW 29th St., Topeka, KS 66611 or the Cat Association of Topeka, 1719 SW Gage Blvd., Topeka, KS 66604.
The memorial service will be June 27 at First Congregational Church, 1701 Collins, Topeka. There will be time for friends and family at 4:00 p.m., and the service will start at 4:30 p.m.
*****************************************************
Verne "B" Horne, Topekan who escaped from kidnapper in 1989, dies at 94
Horne testified against man who murdered three of her friends
Posted: June 6, 2015 - 8:21pm
Related Links
By Tim Hrenchir
[email protected]
Verne “B” Horne, who escaped from the kidnapper who murdered three of her friends in 1989 and later helped put him behind bars for life, died this past week at age 94.
Horne died Monday at Midland Hospice House in Topeka, according to obituary information provided to The Topeka Capital-Journal.
Horne was married 58 years to psychiatrist Dr. James B. Horne, who died in 2010 in Topeka. She worked as his office manager and nurse before they moved in 1960 to Topeka, where she was an occupational therapist at Topeka State Hospital and later the archivist of the Menninger Foundation. The Hornes’ survivors include a daughter and two grandchildren.
B Horne and two neighbors were abducted in December 1989 by Tyrone Baker, then 19, and his girlfriend, 18-year-old Lisa Pfannenstiel. The couple broke into the home in Topeka’s upscale Westboro community of the Hornes’ neighbor, 72-year-old widow Ida Mae Dougherty, who was then robbed at gunpoint and suffocated. Baker and Pfannenstiel used Dougherty’s car to drive to a hilly part of western Douglas County, where they left the body under leaves.
The couple returned to Dougherty’s home and spent the night before Horne and her neighbor, 87-year-old Lester Haley, came to check on Dougherty the next morning. Baker accosted them at gunpoint, then did the same with Haley’s wife, 69-year-old Nancy Haley, when she arrived soon afterward.
Horne later said this happened next:
Baker forced his captives into the back seat of Dougherty’s car and drove it to western Douglas County. He held a gun on them as they walked about 200 yards, then told them to lie face down on the side of the road. He cocked the handgun and pointed it at Horne’s head.
Horne had once read about three “rules” for dealing with kidnappers, and one was not to turn away. She refused, saying “Whatever you do to me, you have to do with me facing you.”
Horne told Baker that if he killed them he would be a murderer, a young man facing a lifetime in prison. She offered Baker $1,000 to let them go. The Haleys agreed to sweeten the pot.
Baker replied that he didn’t know if he had really killed Dougherty. Horne suggested he leave and check where he had left her. She said she would swear on a Bible — if she had one — that she and the Haleys would wait for him.
Baker drove off to check. Horne and the Haleys then fled on foot. Horne, who wasn’t as frail as the couple, suggested they hide while she went to get help. Baker caught up with the Haleys and shot them to death.
Horne ran alone through the hills, at one point seeing Dougherty’s car drive slowly past as she hid in the woods. After about three hours, she hailed a passing car and was taken to safety.
Police arrested Baker and Pfannenstiel after hearing from acquaintances who had learned of their involvement and realized the gravity of the situation, which had brought a CNN crew to Topeka.
Horne testified against Baker during trials in which he was convicted of crimes that included three counts of first-degree murder. He is an inmate at Lansing Correctional Facility and won’t be eligible for parole until 2091.
Pfannenstiel accepted a plea agreement through which she pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary. She was released from prison in December 1993.
Horne told The Capital-Journal in 2003 that the crimes left her with an overwhelming sense of rage, grief, helplessness and thirst for revenge. But she said she came to a personal crossroads and decided that, rather than spend the rest of her life consumed by bitterness, she would rediscover the joy of life.
Horne became a volunteer at the Topeka Police Department, where her obituary said she knew almost all the officers. She also worked with family members of murder victims through Parents of Murdered Children, and taught a class segment on victims with the Menninger Foundation’s Walt Menninger in the criminal justice program at Washburn University, her obituary said.
Horne told The Capital-Journal she also met with Pfannenstiel and her mother shortly after her release.
Horne, who never saw Pfannenstiel during the abduction, said that when the young woman left, “She was at peace about the thing, and so was I.”
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
