Wilfred "Bill" Thornton's Obituary
Wilfred “Bill” Thornton, age 91, passed away July 28, 2004. He was born on December 31, 1912, in Superior, Wisconsin. SERVICES will be 1:00 PM Saturday, at Lakeside Baptist Church with the Rev. Ron Johnson officiating. VISITATION will be 4:00 to 6:00 PM Friday at
The Walburn Chapel
Sytsema Funeral Homes, Inc
1547 W. Sherman Blvd.
231-759-8565
Memorial contributions may be made to Lakeside Baptist Church Elevator Fund. You are invited to share your memories with the family at their “On-line guestbook” at www.sytsemafh.com
Bill was the son of Silus and Marie Perkins Thornton. (deceased). He had two brothers, Chuck and Jack Thornton (both deceased) and one sister, Maxine Bethel (Fred) (deceased)
Wife; Evelyn Gilpin Thornton (deceased) of Harrisville, Michigan. Bill is survived by two sons; Larry W. (Sandy) of Marquette, Michigan and James R. (Jan) of Muskegon. He is also survived by seven grandchildren: Kim Hantz (Don) of Marquette, Michigan; Shelly Thornton of Crownpoint, New Mexico; Tron Thornton (LeAnn); Matt and Alicia Thornton of Appleton, Wisconsin; Kristina Bell (Mike) of Jackson, Michigan; Ginger Parker (John) of Longview, Texas. Eight great-grandchildren
His family moved from Superior, Wisconsin to Harrisville, Michigan in 1917. He “hit the rails” around 1930 and traveled as far west as California. He then helped make Highway 2 in the upper peninsula of Michigan, while operating a paving machine. In 1932 Bill moved to Flint, Michigan to work at Buick Motors. He moved his family to Muskegon in 1941 when he became employed at Camshaft Machine. Bill’s last employment began in 1948 at Universal Camshaft in Muskegon Heights. He retired in 1978 as the General Manager.
Bill began his other career when he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior and became born again. He joined the Lakeside Baptist Church in 1948. Over the years, He served the Lord, Church and Christian community through numerous activities and capacities. His first and arguably most important activity was as a Sunday school teacher. Bill also served as the Sunday school superintendent, deacon and vice-chairman of the church. He also participated with numerous local Christian associations such as the Youth for Christ Board, Christian Education Board, Christian Businessmen’s Club, and Evangelistic Explosion Visitation.
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