Thomas F. Thornton

Thomas F. Thornton Sr., 85, a resident of Moline, Illinois and formerly of LeClaire, Iowa died on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at his home.
A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at 10:00 A.M. Friday, May 22, 2009 at the McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Chapel in Bettendorf, Iowa. Burial will be in Glendale Cemetery, LeClaire, Iowa where military honors will be conducted. Memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Coal Valley, Illinois where he was a member.
He was born November 3, 1923 in Waukon, Iowa, the son of Edward & May (Ruckhaber) Thornton. On July 6, 1947, he was united in marriage to Melba Ruth Wooldridge in Davenport, Iowa. She preceded him in death on January 8, 2001.
Tom served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1947 and served in the U.S. Air Force from 1947 to 1964. Following his retirement from active duty, he worked at the Rock Island Arsenal for 18 years, retiring in 1982 after a 38 year career in federal service.
Those left to honor his memory include his daughter, Nancy J. Thornton of Big Bay, Michigan; his sons, Thomas F. (Cindy) Thornton Jr. of Arlington, Texas and Tony (Jessica) Thornton of Xenia, Ohio; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; his sisters, Nita Bowers of Bettendorf, Joan Tabor, Jean Parrick & Judy Paxston, all of LeClaire; and his brother, Tony Thornton of Princeton, Iowa.
In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his sisters, Eunice, Margery & Delpha.