Ward W. Thornton
Jan. 4, 1915-July 31, 1981
South Bend Tribune (South Bend, Indiana), Friday, August 1, 1981, page 13, col. 3
NILES—Services for Ward W. (Bill) Thornton, 66, of 1653 Cass St., who died at 6:45 a.m. Friday at the Iron county General Hospital, Iron River, Mich., following a brief illness, will be at 11 a.m., Tuesday, in the Halbritter Funeral Home. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call after 2 p.m., Monday, in the funeral home. Full Masonic rites by St. Joseph Valley Lodge No. 4, F&AM will be at 11 a.m., Tuesday. Memorial contributions may be given to the local Tuberculosis and Emphysema Association of Berrien County.
He was born Jan. 4, 1915, in Niles and was a lifetime resident. On June 17, 1939, in Niles, he married Pauline R. Lillie, who survives. Also surviving are three daughters, Mrs. James (JoAnne) Wagley of Niles, Mrs. Wanda Huffman of Niles, Mrs. Timothy (Judy) Plevin of Sterling Heights, Mich.; two sons, Robert of Las Vegas,Nev., and Michael of Niles; nine grandchildren; a sister, Mrs. James (Nancy Evans of Olympia, Wash.; three brothers, Lee, Gerald and Jack Thornton all of Niles. He retired in 1979 as an electrician with Thornton Electric, Inc. He was a member of St. Joseph Valley Lodge No. 4, F&AM and a past master and a member of the Niles Shrine Club.