Justin Horn was a devoted, joyful, deeply present father and husband – the kind of dad people hope their children will have. He filled the Horn home with energy and tenderness, waking the family with laughter, ending each day in prayer, and loving his wife, Angela, and children, Declan, and Ramey with his whole heart. “Justin was the father I prayed my future babies would have,” Angela shares. “He balanced strength with gentleness and made sure his children always felt seen and loved.” When Justin died suddenly in June 2024, everything changed.
“Every routine involved Justin,” Angela says. “We had to begin re-wiring our lives in a world where the person who made things make sense was now in heaven.” Barely a month after Justin’s death, Angela reached out to The WARM Place. As a school counselor, she had long referred families, now her own family needed that same support. By September 2024, she and Declan were enrolled in peer support groups at The WARM Place, and soon after, Ramey eagerly joined too. Each child’s grief looks different.
“Declan needed community and a place to talk. Ramey needed awareness and something tangible,” Angela explains. “On our WARM Place Thursdays, Declan often leaves quiet and lighter. Ramey leaves energized, proudly carrying crafts made in honor of her daddy.”
“My favorite part,” Declan says, “is knowing I’m not the only one who has to go through this.” Ramey adds, “You get to talk about your loved one…and get sadness and anger out.” Angela sees the impact in her two children clearly. “We look forward to WARM Place Thursdays. The grief feels lighter afterward. When we miss group, we notice it, the heaviness builds. Being at The WARM Place smooths the sharp edges of our grief.”
At home, Justin’s name is still spoken every day. They pray with him, for him, and talk about him often. They’ve created new traditions to honor him – celebrating his birthday, and setting aside the 16th of every month to remember him through special meals, places, and experiences he loved. Long before his death, they called themselves the Horn Pack of Four. Now, they are the Horn Pack of Forever Four. “Justin will always be part of us,” she says. “He is the reason we were the Horn Pack of Four, and why we always will be.
”
When asked what she wants other families to know about The WARM Place, her answer is simple: “Here, you can cry. You can speak their name. You can be surrounded by people who understand. No one walks the same path – but no one has to walk it alone.”
