John Horan Obituary

John Frederick Horan, 64, died on December 27th following a 15-month journey with a rare and aggressive cancer. Born in Oklahoma City to loving parents Viola and Patrick Horan, John was the youngest of five children. His siblings liked to tease that he was an accident, but John preferred the word "blessing." He was indeed a blessing to his many friends and family! As a toddler, he relinquished his final pacifier to his grandpa, and the family of seven departed for their new home in Dallas. It was here that he became a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, as the family enjoyed watching games from the Cotton Bowl endzone. A 1980 graduate of Richardson High School, John formed close and lifelong friendships there as he did at Texas Tech University where he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, as his brothers before him. In 1984 he earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. It was at Tech where he met his future wife and lifelong partner, Phyllis Barbato. They married in 1986, moved to Plano, then added a daughter and son to complete their family. John was a wonderful, loving, involved, and patient father. There was lots of laughter in the Horan household as he earned his role as "the fun parent." Their bond over sports was strong-Dallas Cowboys, Mavericks, Stars, and especially the Texas Tech Red Raiders. John was always in the stands when the kids played sports, primarily on the basketball court. The three of them regularly engaged in competitive games of HORSE (appropriately renamed HORAN) on the driveway, sometimes till after dark. Texas Instruments (TI) was where John spent his professional career. During the last 20 years with TI, in DLP Sales, he had the opportunity to see the world, traveling extensively to Asia and Europe. After 33 years, he retired at the age of 55, splitting leisure time between travel, golf, pickleball, and volunteering at Seven Loaves food pantry, part of The Storehouse Community Center. During the pandemic, John was recognized for his leadership and management skills and offered the job of Director of Seven Loaves. So began a second career. His servant's heart kept him in this role for almost two years, distributing food to an average of 1,000 families per week, before transitioning back to active volunteer. As Director and as volunteer, John's sense of humor and zest for life drew everyone to him. In addition to a second career, the staff and volunteers at The Storehouse became a second family, later supporting him and Phyllis during his illness with prayers, friendship and love. In addition to his devoted wife of 40 years, his survivors include daughter Landon Oakum and husband James, son Clayton Horan and wife Madalyn, grandson Frederick (Freddie) Horan Oakum, sisters Jean Pedraza, Melinda Horan, brothers Tim and wife Ronda, Mark and wife Kristi. Five nieces and nephews-Maegan, Lauren, J.P., Jarrett and Charlie-- will all miss their beloved and witty "Unky J." A celebration of life will be held Saturday, 3PM, January 3, 2026, at St. Andrew Methodist Church, 5801 W. Plano Parkway. Memorial donations may be made to The Storehouse Community Center, https://apps.thestorehousecc.org/in-honor-of.