William Jewell “Bill” Thorne
THORNE, THOMAS, RASMUSSEN, BERRY
Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 3/21/2022 at 11:10:13
William Jewell “Bill” Thorne, 89, died peacefully surrounded by his family on Thursday, February 24, 2022.
A Memorial Service will be held at 10: 00 AM, Friday, March 11, 2022 at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church. The service will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend. To watch the livestream, visit St. Mark's Facebook page. A reception will follow the service. A family committal service will be held at Memory Gardens Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Mark’s Church.
The family request that masks be worn by all attendees.
Bill was born June 22,1932 in Council Grove, Kansas, the son of Milton and Bertie (Thomas) Thorne, Bill grew up in Savannah, Missouri and graduated from Brookfield (MO) High School. He received his bachelor’s degree from Central Methodist College and master’s degree from Northeast Missouri State University. Bill later received Guidance Counselor Training from Northwest Missouri State University.
He served in the US Army during the Korean War from 1954 to 1957 and was a member of the US Army Band. Bill married Janice Fankhauser on August 16, 1957 in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Bill taught music in Albany, Missouri for 9 years. He and Janice moved to Iowa City in 1968. Bill was a counselor at Southeast Junior High School for 30 years, retiring in 1998.
He was a member of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, United Methodist Men, and Johnson County Retired School Personnel Association. Bill volunteered at missions in New Mexico. He was a member of the Iowa City Evening Lion’s Club and played with the New Horizons Band.
Survivors include his wife, Janice; their daughter, Susan Rasmussen (Craig Berry) of Jefferson, Iowa and their son, Brian Thorne (Kathy) of Valencia, California; daughter-in-law, Erin Thorne of Carlisle, Pennsylvania; nine grandchildren, Sarah, Chris, and Alex Rasmussen, Andrew (Sofia) Thorne, Tyler, Aubrie, Kaden, Connor, and Trent Thorne.
Bill was preceded in death by his son, Steven Thorne; granddaughter, Emily; brothers Milton Jr., Ralph and Wayne.
Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
Johnson Obituaries maintained by Cindy Booth Maher.
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