WILLIAM HURT THORNTON

WILLIAM HURT THORNTON, 83, of Henderson, Nevada, died after battling terminal cancer on May 16, 2010, at the Odyssey Hospice in Las Vegas, Nevada. William Thornton was born in Covington, Tennessee, on April 26, 1927. Besides the importance of family and friends in his life, William was proud to have served in the U.S. Army. He joined the Army at a young age to help support his mother and siblings and to see the world. William retired from the Army as a Sergeant First Class having served a 27-year distinguished career. He received many medals such as the Purple Heart and Bronze Star to name a few and was also recognized as a rifle marksman. He is one of the few remaining soldiers having served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He was well known by his Army buddies as “Pappy” because he was like a father figure to all he met. He was very proud to have served in the Army. Upon retirement from the Army, he trained to become a barber at the William R. Moore Technical School in Memphis, Tennessee. He worked a second career at the Barber Shop located on the U.S. Naval Support Base in Millington, Tennessee. He was also a deacon at the First Baptist Church in Millington, Tennessee. William H. Thornton is survived by his wife, Yoshiko, of 53 years. He is also survived by his four children: daughter, Diana Gorzocoski and her husband, David Gorzocoski, and the two grandchildren, Samantha and Grant, of Northfield, Massachusetts; son, William Thornton, Jr., and his wife, Cecilia, and grandson, Aaron of Henderson, Nevada; son, Robert Thornton of Henderson, Nevada; and daughter, Jane Pruitt and her husband, David Pruitt, and two grandsons, J. D. and Jeremiah of Snow Camp, North Carolina. He is also survived by many brothers and sisters, as well as several nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held on May 20, 2010, at 11 a.m. at the Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries, 7600 S. Eastern Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89123 (702-464-8500). A 21-gun salute burial ceremony with full honors will be held at the Southern Nevada Veterans Cemetery in Boulder City, Nevada on May 21, 2010 at 9:20 a.m. Condolences may be sent to Yoshiko Thornton at 1517 Plain Sight Avenue, Henderson, Nevada 89014.