Funeral services for Margaret Elizabeth “Liz” Van Horn will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 28 in the Oliver Funeral Home Chapel, with Rev. Terry Corley officiating the service; followed by burial at Oakwood Cemetery, with Rev. Rufus Van Horn officiating the graveside service. Pallbearers will be John Michael Van Horn, Lee Van Horn, Peyton King, Austin Burdine, Durant Fullington, and Matt Cagle. Honorary pallbearers will be Bill Herring and Nick Van Horn.
Visitation will be Friday, August 28 from 9:00 a.m. until service time at Oliver Funeral Home.
Margaret Elizabeth “Liz” Van Horn, 84, of Winona, Mississippi, passed away August 24, 2026. She was born November 3, 1941, in Calhoun County, Mississippi, to Edward and Jessie Lee Miller. She was a member of North Winona Baptist Church.
Liz met her husband, John Leigh Van Horn, while they were students at Vardaman High School. They married when Liz was 18 and John was 19 and shared 65 years of marriage, building a life and family filled with love, laughter, and memories.
Liz was a graduate of Vardaman High School, where she was a basketball star her senior year. She worked as a school crossing guard for 11 years before attending the police academy in 1986. She served as a police officer until 2009, reaching the rank of Captain. She was known as a fair officer and dedicated public servant and was the first female Deputy Fire Marshal in Mississippi.
But more than anything, Liz was a mama. She was deeply devoted to her family. She was a loving wife and mother to John Wayne Van Horn (Christye), Lance Van Horn (Michelle), and Melissa Van Horn Newell (Lin), and a proud grandmother to John Michael Van Horn, Lee Van Horn, Laura Cagle, Beth Burdine, Rachel Fullington, and Peyton King. She was blessed with four great-grandchildren.
She had a wicked sense of humor, a beautiful smile, and a great laugh that her family will always remember.
Liz was preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Jessie Lee Miller; her sister, Marilyn Cowsart; and her brother, Wayne Miller. She is survived by her husband of 65 years, John Leigh Van Horn; her children and their spouses; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and her sister, Norma Lee Winters (Steve).
The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Vaiden Community Living Center and Tyler Holmes Hospital for the love, kindness, and compassionate care they gave Liz and her family.
She was one of a kind. She could do it all. But more than anything, she was a mama. She was deeply loved, and she will never be forgotten.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959 or online at https://www.stjude.org/donate.
She worked in so many different fields and excelled in all of them. As a Winona band parent she was always supportive of everything we did. “Liz” VanHorn with be remembered in our thoughts and prayers for the life she lived..
So sorry about Liz. Such a wonderful and awesome person!! Much love to her children, grands and entire family. Skeet Simmons
Van Horn family: So sorry to hear about Liz. You are all both in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Liz was always on the move and she was a “spunky” little lady who loved life and helping others. She will be missed and forever remembered. Love in Christ!
She was a kind of police officer that I will never forget. I remember all the kind words she told me. Her years here on this earth have touched many people lives.
I got to know Liz through Gerry Whitfield. What a pair they were. She was always full
Of love and laughter. I pray now she can rest knowing all that she knew loves her.