Grace Calhoun Horton, 88, of Solomons, Maryland, died of respiratory failure August 28 in Washington, D.C.

She was born July 12, 1921 in Selma, AL, to Otis Vaughn Calhoun and Mary Byrne Calhoun. She graduated in 1943 from Huntingdon College, Montgomery, AL, where she was president of her senior class. After working in the field of child welfare from 1943-46, she pursued a master's degree in social work at the University of Chicago.

She was married to John Ryder Horton in June 1947. After he joined the Central Intelligence Agency, she accompanied him to posts in the Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong, Uruguay and Mexico. Three of their four children were born overseas. While in Hong Kong, she worked with the International Social Service in helping refugees from China, primarily abandoned and orphan children, find homes in America. It was during that work that she met the late Mabel Ingalls, who at the time owned the Sotterley Plantation in Hollywood, MD.

Her friendship with Mrs. Ingalls led to the family being invited to spend time at Sotterley, beginning in 1962. In 1975, on Mr. Horton's retirement from the CIA, Mrs. Ingalls generously made available to the Hortons land near Sotterley, on which Mr. Horton built a house overlooking the Patuxent River. The Hortons named their place Cornwaleys Fresh and lived there for the next 25 years.

While living near Sotterley, Mrs. Horton led and participated in a wide variety of community activities. She served on the Sotterley Foundation board of trustees, including a term as a vice-president. She was a charter member of the League of Women Voters chapter for St. Mary's County, serving two terms as president. She was among the founders of the Healthshare agency, which assists low income people in meeting health care needs not funded by Medicare or Medicaid. She served on the St. Mary's County human relations committee, which focuses on discrimination claims and issues, as well as on the county's affordable housing commission. She helped the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by translating information sent in Spanish from Central America regarding banded birds. She was an ardent and lifelong Democrat, and a long-time member of the Women's National Democratic Club.

Throughout her life Mrs. Horton read widely and occasionally took college courses, most recently at St. Mary's College of Maryland. After she and her husband moved to the Asbury Solomons Island retirement community in 2000, they led the effort to arrange for courses taught by St. Mary's College faculty to be offered at Asbury Solomons. In recognition of their leadership, St. Mary's College designated its program of community courses as the Grace and John Horton Explorations in Learning Program.

She maintained her interest in world events to virtually the end of her life, most recently through her involvement in the Episcopal Church's Millennium Development Goals program.

She and her husband attended Patuxent Presbyterian Church while living at Sotterley, and attended St. Peter's Chapel after moving to Solomons.

Her husband, John R. Horton, died in 2007. She leaves four children, Andrew M. Horton of Falmouth, Maine, Mary C. Horton of Washington, D.C., David R. Horton of St.Johnsbury, Vermont, and Jane B. Horton of Decatur, Georgia, and seven grandchildren, as well as a sister, Margaret McIlwain of North Carolina; a sister-in-law, Jane Cabanyes of Madrid, Spain, and many nephews and nieces.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, September 26, at the Middleham Chapel, 10210 H.G. Trueman Rd., Lusby, MD.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the St. Mary's College Foundation, designated for the Grace and John Horton Explorations in Learning Program, at the following address: Office of Lifelong Learning, St. Mary's College of Maryland, 18952 E. Fisher Rd,.St. Mary's City, MD 20686-3001.

Arrangements provided by Rausch Funeral Home.