Darline L. Bridges-Hornbeck

A private graveside service for Darline L. Bridges-Hornbeck, of Lawton will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2020 at Letitia Cemetery. 

Mrs. Bridges-Hornbeck passed away on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 in Lawton.

Arrangements are under the direction of Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home. 

A public Celebration of Life service will be held at a later date. 

Darline L. Bridges-Hornbeck was born on November 4, 1917 in Manitou, OK to Dora and Leonard Henson. She grew up in Texas and graduated from Central High School in Ft. Worth, TX. She attended Baylor University, Lamar College, and graduated from the Woodrow School of Speech in Dallas as a Speech Major. 

She married George I. Bridges in 1935 in Overton, TX. They moved to Lawton in 1944 where he was in business, and she established a speech studio. They had two children, Dr. George I. Bridges and Donna G. Waller.

In the late 1940's, she was involved with weekly radio programs which presented plays and other radio entertainment. In 1950 her stage talent led to a staring role as the Virgin Mary in a movie filmed in Lawton, the Holy City, and in Hollywood titled "The Prince of Peace". Going to Broadway and appearing at the movie's premier was a highlight of her acting career.

She had been an active member in the Church of Christ with many years of being a teacher in the Sunday school department. During the years of 1952-58, she was on KSWO-TV every Saturday afternoon with The Children's Bible Hour. For 18 years she hosted a weekly non-denominational Bible class in her home for ladies of the Lawton area. When she and her husband, George, started spending their winters in Port Isabel, TX, she had a weekly Bible class for approximately 20 years at the Chapel by the Sea in South Padre Island for the winter visitors.

One of the civic clubs in which she was a charter member was the Lawton Book and Play Review Club. For many years she was a regular book reviewer and even traveled to the Pan American Lectureship in Quito, Ecuador, to the present her review of the entire Bible. She was a long time member of two other clubs; Quest Club and the Lawton Woman's Forum that began in 1952.

Some of her hobbies were fishing with George, who died in 1996, book reviewing, Bible study and teaching, sewing, playing bridge and entertaining. 

Beginning in 2000, several of her summers were spent helping a friend, Shirley Mitchell, in her gift store in Skagway, Alaska, where she sold books and other Alaskan native crafts. Her love of adventure had also taken her to Europe, Russia, Israel, Africa, China and South America, where she had either toured for the fun of it or had been involved in missionary endeavors.

Among her greatest joys, each Thursday, when she was in town, was cooking lunch for her son, George, his two sons, Trace and Todd Bridges, and three of their friends, Ross Hankins, Bob Milam, and Larry Hurst.

She married Bob Hornbeck of Lawton in March of 2008. He died of an accident in August of that year. She remained closed to his two daughters, Jan Forsse of Dana Point, CA, and Jill Melrose, Medicine Park, OK.

Survivors include a son, Dr. George Bridges and his wife, Linda; a daughter, Donna Waller and her husband, Larry; seven grandchildren: Leza Bridges, of Perth, Australia, Dr. Trace Bridges, Dr. Todd Bridges, both of Lawton, Logan Waller, Hallie Waller, Vera Suarez, and Lavonne Waller, of Dallas, TX; and seven great grandchildren: Connor and Ansley Bridges, Bronson and Jax Bridges, Jackson Watts, and Rhine and Cora Suavez.

She was preceded in death by her parents, several brothers and sisters, and two husbands.

Memorial contributions may be made to World Christian Broadcasting, 605 Bradley Ct., Franklin, TN 37067.

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