Katherine P. Thorne

Katherine P. Thorne, age 92, of Franklin Township (Hunterdon), NJ passed away Friday, July 29, 2016 at home surrounded by her loving family. Kay was born on November 22, 1923 in Supply, VA, the daughter of the late William Pomeroy and Effie Myrtle (Anderson) Parr. She moved to NJ in 1941 and in 1950 married George Thorne. Upon her marriage she moved to Franklin Township where she lived the rest of her life. Kay first worked at an airplane factory in West Trenton during World War II. She then went on to graduate from the Somerset Hospital School of Nursing in 1947. As an R.N., she worked at Somerset Hospital and then for many years at Hunterdon Medical Center, retiring in 1988 from the urology practice of Dr. Mitchell. After her retirement, she lent a hand at her son's dental practice. After retiring, Kay and George traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and Canada in their RV, managing to see 49 states. Kay and George celebrated 51 years of extraordinary marriage prior to George's passing in 2002. Kay was a faithful and active member of the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church in Pittstown, NJ since 1952 where she taught Sunday School and enjoyed Women's Association activities. Kay loved birds, especially owls. She collected owls of all kinds. She enjoyed watching the birds at her feeders. In her last few years she found great joy in watching live cams of owl and eagle nests. She also enjoyed gardening, wildflowers, knitting and stitching and the word scrambles in the daily paper. But most of all, she loved spending time with her family and watching her grandchildren grow. Kay is survived by one brother - Floyd Parr of Rockfield, KY, two sons - G. William Thorne, DDS and his wife Jayne Keller, DMD of Greencastle, PA, and Jeffrey B. Thorne, DDS and his wife Bev of Lebanon, NJ, four grandchildren - Amelia E. Johnston and her husband Marc of Santa Cruz, CA, Brian Thorne of Milwaukee, WI, Betsy Thorne of Nashville, TN and Michael Thorne of Lebanon, NJ and three step-grandchildren - Kristen, Laura and Megan Willwerth. In addition to her husband George, Kay is predeceased by brothers Alvin, Walter, Harwood and Arthur Parr and sisters Olive Leonard and Margaret Pearson A Celebration of Kay's life will take place on Sunday, September 18, 2016 at 2pm at the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, Pittstown, NJ. Arrangements are by Scarponi-Bright Funeral Home, Lebanon, NJ. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made in Kay's name to: The Raptor Trust, 1390 White Bridge Rd, Millington, NJ 07946 or Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, 2 Race St, Pittstown, NJ 08867. [The Raptor Trust is a wild bird rehabilitation center. The Trust includes a hospital with state-of-the-art medical facilities, quality exterior housing for several hundred birds, and an education building. An advocate for birds of prey for three decades, it is now recognized as a national leader in the fields of raptor conservation and avian rehabilitation. http://theraptortrust.org]