Visitation:
202 W. Maple Street Willard OH 44890 3/27/2006 14:00:00
Service:
Willard OH 3/28/2006 11:00:00
Martin Kenneth Thornton, age 83, passed away on Friday, March 24, 2006 at Willard Mercy Hospital. With him at his side were his loving wife of sixty-three years, Marilyn (McFadden) Thornton and his children. Kenneth was a lifelong resident of Willard.
Kenneth was born on July 2, 1922 in Willard, Ohio. He was preceded in death by his mother, Rosemary (Boehringer) Thornton in 1979; his father, Martin Floyd Thornton, in 1986; and his infant brother George ‘Dickie’ Thornton in 1928.
Surviving Kenneth are his wife Marilyn, whom he wed on September 27, 1943, and his children Martin Robert (Betty) Thornton of Atlanta, Georgia; Susan Kathryn (Paul) Zdroik of Willard; James Clay (Kathleen)Thornton of Anniston, Alabama; Joan Marie Thornton of Columbus, Ohio; and Melissa Jane (Ron) Butler of Columbus, Ohio. Also surviving are his grandchildren Adam, Lauren, and Scott Zdroik; Sarah Elizabeth Thornton; Jay David Thornton; his brother, Robert F. (Joan) Thornton of Willard; and many nieces and nephews.
Kenneth is a veteran of World War II where he served with the amphibious forces of the Navy as a radio operator first class on LST 484 in the Pacific Theater.
Kenneth was a 1951 graduate of Western Reserve School of Law. He was admitted to the Ohio Bar Association in 1951 and opened his own law practice in Willard in 1952, to be joined several years later by his brother Robert. Several years ago, he was recognized by the Ohio and Huron County Bar Associations for 50 years of service to the community in the practice of law. He is a past president of the Huron County Bar Association.
Kenneth served as mayor of Willard from 1958 to 1960. He was a member of the Elks and a Past Exalted Ruler of the Willard Elks Club. A lifelong golfer, he and his wife were founding members of the Willard Golf Club. Because of his years of dedicated service to the community, the City of Willard and the Huron County Bar Association declared July 2, Mr. Thornton’s birthday, to be Kenneth Thornton Day in perpetuity.
Kenneth was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle and will be profoundly missed by his wife and family.
Friends may call at the Secor Funeral Home in Willard on Monday, March 27, 2006 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM, where a vigil service will be held at 9:00 PM. Funeral mass will be held at the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Willard on Tuesday, March 28, 2006, at 11:00 AM with Father Stanley S. Szybka officiating. Burial will follow at the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Willard with military rights. Memorial expressions may be made to Willard Mercy Hospital, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church of Willard, or the American Heart Association. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.secorfuneralhome.com
Condolences
I miss you every day, Dad….love you.