Stephen Horton

Stephen John Horton, 58, passed away on Tuesday, July 19th at St. Vincent hospital due to complications related to heart disease. Stephen was born on July 1, 1958, at the same hospital, to Charles and Anne Horton. In 1985 he married Celeste McKenzie Bonnecarrere, and from that union he had four beautiful children of whom he was very proud: Stephanie, Kristen, Stephen Jr., and Grace. He and Celeste separated in 2010 and later divorced. Stephen grew up northeast of Billings and spent many hours riding dirt bikes in the hills surrounding his home. He passed his love of riding onto his youngest children, Stephen and Grace. He developed a passion for music and spent time in his late teens playing bass guitar for a local band called “The Edge”. His love of music followed him through life. Some of his favorite pastimes were playing one of his many guitars or watching recorded concerts of his favorite artists. He ensured that his children were introduced to music and provided them with music lessons from a young age. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1977, and went on to graduate from Eastern Montana College in 1981 with a degree in Business Management. Stephen was an avid bodybuilder and managed Gold's Gym during its time in Billings. While there, he met his workout buddy, Dave Briese, Jr., who later followed Steve into law enforcement. Stephen worked for the Yellowstone County Sheriff's office for over 25 years, starting as a jailer at the Detention facility. He went on to work patrol, then served as a D.A.R.E. officer, and worked with the FBI in their cybercrimes division before becoming a detective, a position he proudly held for ten years prior to his retirement in 2014. In Stephen's later years, his younger brother Paul Horton became his closest friend. Stephen is survived by his children, Stephanie (Patrick) McCormick of Billings, Kristen (Cameron) Sapp of Billings, Stephen Horton Bonnecarrere of Billings, and Grace Horton Bonnecarrere of Missoula, along with grandchildren Evangeline and Waveland McCormick and Huckleberry Sapp. Other survivors include his brother Paul Horton (Diane), and nieces and nephews Christopher (Alex), Kalan, Heather, Brittany, and Angel Horton. Stephen is preceded in death by his parents Charles and Anne Horton. There will be a celebration of Stephen's life at Dahl Funeral home located at 10 Yellowstone Avenue this Thursday, July 28th at 1:00pm. Arrangements are in the care of Dahl Funeral Chapel.