Walter Lawrence "Larry" Thornton Jr.

1932 - 2013

Larry Thornton passed away at his Valencia, CA home surrounded by family and friends on Thursday, September 5, 2013 following a courageous battle with cancer. He was born June 22, 1932 in Bakersfield, CA where he attended Bakersfield High School and played the trumpet as a member of the "Driller Band". Following high school, Larry attended Bakersfield College and was drafted into the service, playing in the U.S. Army Band at Fort Ord. He continued his education at Fresno State as a music major and received a B.A. in Music Performance. He also did post-graduate work at CSUN.

His teaching career began in Bakersfield where he taught at Lincoln Junior High for seven years. Larry then moved to Newhall where he taught at Sierra Vista Junior High, Placerita Junior High, and finally at Hart High School where he worked for twenty-three years. Under Larry Thornton's direction, the William S. Hart High School band earned accolades in all aspects of performance: concert, parade, field show, and especially jazz. The Chieftain Jazz Ambassadors were recognized among the finest high school jazz ensembles in California, often placing first in the top "Heavy" division bands, with winning performances at major jazz festivals including the Hollywood Bowl Battle of the Bands.

Larry met his wife Marlyn (Lyn), a Canadian nurse, in 1957 in Bakersfield and they were married in 1958. Prior to their marriage, they took golf lessons in preparation for Larry's meeting Lyn's Canadian family. From then on, Larry could not get enough of that game. An avid golfer until his debilitating stroke in 2003, he had thirteen holes in one. Larry and Lyn returned almost every summer to visit family and friends in Canada until travel became too difficult.

Larry leaves his wife of fifty-five years Marlyn (Lyn) Thornton of Valencia, CA; sisters Janet Ash of Corvallis, OR and Shelley Thornton of Bakersfield, CA; brother-in-law Terry Raycroft and sister-in-law Karen Raycroft of Wynyard, Saskatchewan, CAN; sister-in-law Sharon Raycroft and her husband Geoff Wilcox of Calgary, Alberta, CAN; uncle Ross Thornton of Bakersfield, CA; daughters Anne Weidmann (Eric) of Belleville, Ontario, CAN and Jane Thornton of Bakersfield, CA; many nieces and nephews both in the U.S. and Canada.

Larry Thornton is an example of how one person can make a positive difference in the lives of others. He taught many important lessons through the vehicle of music, and the appreciation for those lessons is reflected in the many tributes he has received from admiring and grateful students, parents, family, and friends.

Services for Larry Thornton are scheduled for Saturday, September 28, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. at Eternal Valley Mortuary in the Chapel on the Hill, 23287 North Sierra Hwy, Newhall, CA 91321. Memorial gifts to the Larry Thornton Memorial Scholarship may be made out to the Santa Clarita Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Box 220236, Santa Clarita, CA 91322. Online Memoriam and guest book may be reached at www.Dignity Memorial.com.

The Signal, September 25, 2013
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Published on signalscv.com September 25 to October 1, 2013