Aaron Shawn Horton

Aaron was funny, kind, and caring. He loved cars, as those of you who know and love him can testify. One of his friends said that Aaron had bought more cars than anyone he ever knew. Aaron was an artist who had lived on boats most of his adult life, living at Oyster Point Marina, Alameda Marina, and Redwood City Marina. His horseshoe art was amazing…his creative talents delighted and inspired others. His recent life had been divided between “before the fire” and “after the fire”. On November 19, 2018, Aaron was trapped in a burning boat and subsequently suffered burns on between 30% and 40% of his body. His first year of recovery was spent on an air bed in his mother Jane’s living room, mostly sleeping and eating. The love and support from his many friends at that time was the most important thing that kept him going. He tried resuming his pre-fire life the second year. There were successes and setbacks, yet he worked diligently to recover his strength and mobility. During all of this time he never complained or asked, “Why me?” and always had a joke to tell, a meal to cook, or would excitedly share the great value he had found food shopping. He loved cooking and often created new and unusual dishes (mostly quite tasty, but sometimes they turned into a story he could never live down!) The last month of his life was the first time he had moved away from his mom’s house since the fire. He was blessed with many loyal friends and moved into a house in Vallejo with several friends watching over him. He was finally creating art again, started gardening, used the lathe, and was happy. On the morning of April 15, he was on his way to have breakfast with a friend when he placed a 911 call. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Vallejo. He had suffered an aneurysm and his aorta had separated from his stomach all the way to his heart. Aaron was transported to a hospital in Sacramento, where a team worked hard to save his life. Unfortunately, his heart was not physically strong enough to start beating after the surgery and we lost him. Please use this page to post photos, and to share your love and experiences. We were blessed with 28 months with Aaron after the fire. He will be forever missed but never forgotten as long as you keep him in your thoughts and in your hearts. He would have wanted you to remember his pranks, his wild ideas, his art, and his dreams. The Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation (AARBF) is a foundation which helps burn victims. Aaron would have liked a donation to this foundation in honor of him. https://www.aarbf.org/support-us/