John Joseph Thornton

FUNERAL HOME

Rutherford-Corbin Funeral Home - Worthington

515 High Street

Worthington, Ohio

John Thornton Obituary

THORNTON John Joseph Thornton, age 74, of Columbus, passed away at his home on January 31, 2010. John was born on October 9, 1935 in Newark, Ohio. He is preceded in death by his parents John N. and Mary Thornton, sister Mary Lou Thornton Utz. John is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Barbara Wolke Thornton; his children, Brenda (Wil Catlin) Thornton Shaw of Portland, OR, Laura (Kevin) Thornton Swabb of Lewis Center, OH, John M. (Kathleen) Thornton of Kirkland, WA; grandchildren, John and Molly Shaw, Kaylyn and Kory Swabb, Aisling and Addison Thornton; sister, Carol (Jerry) Thornton Buddendeck of Webster, NY; brother, Richard (Linda) Thornton of Newark, OH; uncle, Frank Hofacker of Lisbon, OH; nieces and nephews, Guilia, Donna, Deb, Linda, Mike, Amy, Beth, Joe, Pam, Steven and Elizabeth; as well as many cousins, friends and Cherryfield friends and neighbors. John was a loving husband, dad, poppie, and grandpa. He was 1953 graduate of St. Francis Catholic School, Newark, OH and a 1957 EE graduate of University of Dayton. He served his country as an officer in the U.S. Army from 1957-1959 and was then employed by ABB (Accuray) from 1959 to 2001. He was a member of St. Peter Catholic Church, Worthington Hills Civic Assoc., Shamrock Club, Central Ohio Rose Society, ABB Geezers and Accuray Club. John loved the outdoors, gardening and being in the woods as well as fishing. He was a connoisseur of fine cuisine and he had a passion for computers. A Mass a Christian Burial will be held at St. Peter Catholic Church, 6899 Smoky Row Rd., Columbus, OH 43235, at 10 a.m. on Monday, February 8. Family will receive friends from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Sunday, February 7 at the RUTHERFORD-CORBIN FUNERAL HOME, 515 High St., Worthington, OH 43085. Donations may be made in John's memory to HomeReach Hospice, 180 East Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43215-3707.

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Published by The Columbus Dispatch on Feb. 5, 2010.

Memories and Condolences
for John Thornton

13 Entries

Geoff Pomeroy

March 16, 2010

Many years ago, John and Bill Clore (Accuray) visited my Jr. High science fair project. This was around 1966. I mentioned that I needed electronics parts to further my interest in electronics. John brought a pickup truck of discarded parts from Accuray that absolutely sealed my career in electronics. My thanks to John for his interest in this kid so many years ago. I'm an EE today partly because of John. I'm glad he was there and my sympathies to his family in honor of a kind, gracious man... Geoff Pomeroy

CHERYL ELLIOTT

February 18, 2010

Barb and family I'm so sorry to hear about John's passing. It has been many years since the times spent together and the good times with our friends and family. Times I have never forgotten though my life changed. I have missed everyone. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. Just remember "Those whom we love will always live on in our hearts ". Take care. Always, Cheryl Elliott

Bill Muir

February 16, 2010

My condolences to the Thornton family. I'll always remember you all living next door to us in Lake Oswego, OR back in the early 1980's. I will never forget Mr. Thornton's 4th of July fireworks.

Sharon Burr

February 13, 2010

Barb - I just read the news and am sending my thoughts and prayers your way.

Sally Heximer

February 6, 2010

My deepest sympathies to the Thornton family. John was one of my favorite bosses at AccuRay; always with a smile.

February 6, 2010

My deepest sympathy to you, Barb and your family. My thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.
Sharon Galvin and family

Gary Melle

February 6, 2010

Dear John, Kathleen and family,
We are so sorry to hear of the loss of your dad -- our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time of sorrow.
Love,
Uncle Gary and Aunt Mary Joan

Allyn Brehl

February 6, 2010

John was a "Manager's manager". John always seemed to be selected for the biggest organizational challenges and he always approach each of those with optimism and strong leadership. Of all of the management I had over the years he was probably the one that made the most difference in my own personal development. He was a great leader and will be missed by many.

Mike Hadra

February 5, 2010

I was fortunate to have had John as a boss and work colleague for many years. Fortunate because, beyond the very professional approach he took over his job responsibilities, I was always able to count on him as a friend, to get his counsel and guidance, as well as support when dealing with challenging situations. John was a true team player, and even though discussions could get somewhat heated, you always knew that he had the best interest of the company in mind, and that it was never personal, and that it would never go beyond that moment.
My sincere condolences go to his wife Barbara, his children and other family members.

Jan Bryant

February 5, 2010

John Thornton was the smartest man I ever met. His passion for everything was amazing. Above all he loved his family. I am blessed to have known him. He helped me out of many a computer glitch and always knew how to fix anything I threw at him. He was a genius. He was truly one of a kind. I will miss him but always remember him fondly. He was an expert at everything he did. Love to his wonderful family.

Tom Cissell

February 5, 2010

John was a unique individual. He was passionate about his work. As his co-worker/employee you could judge his "passion" on a topic by the color on his face. Pale to light pink - disinterest or agreement, pink to light red - early warning you better justify yourself or backoff, deep red to purple - well you were warned!

There was never a better crisis manager than John. He thrived on wrestling big issues in real time . . . and winning. Routine management of established processes bored him to death. His best contributions came when he was empowered to rally a team to overcome huge odds and move forward to victory. He loved to analyze people's motivations. He always interpreted peoples moves as strategic and wanted to know "what did it mean?". Sometimes his conclusions were actually correct. But his deep seated curiosity about situations and motives served him and his company well.

John gave me my first opportunity to manage people and then mentored me for a number of years which helped me contribute more to the company and advance along the ranks. Loyalty was a big thing with John. He demanded it and practiced it. When I first worked for John I didn't quite get him. He would say something and maybe laugh and I did not know whether I was supposed to agree with the issue or disagree. It wasn't clear to me where he stood. Then one day about a year later I realized that I no longer had that problem. I knew ituitively where John was coming from and I remember thinking "hmmm. Is this a good thing?" It was. I was able to work for John with a minumum of interference. I knew enough to inform him of things he would need to know and as long as I did that, he trusted me to get the job done.

When I had an opportunity to take a promotion that would move me to another department John did not hesitate to support me and indeed campaigned for me. I got the Job and was grateful to have his support over the years.

John loved and was proud of his family. He spoke of them often. He and Barbara welcomed my wife and I into his home on a number of occassions.

So many stories . . . so little space. John we will miss you. I know you are already analyzing all the angels moves and actions and trying to figure out what it all means. You have probably been assigned a heavenly crisis to manage. Note to St. Peter watch out if his face turns a deep red.

February 5, 2010

Dear Mrs. Thornton and Family,

Our sincere sympathy in the passing of your husband, John. We gratefully acknowledge his service to our country so that we can embrace the freedom we have today.

Sincerely and God Bless,
Buckeye Military Moms, Chapter 9
Blue Star Mothers
Columbus, OH

Christine Armbrust

February 5, 2010

We have all been blessed with knowing your husband/dad... May God continue to watch over your family. God bless you all! We will keep you in our prayers.

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