Lucy “Mae” Thornton, 93, Cupertino, California, died Feb. 17, 2022.
Mae was born March 11, 1928, Paxico, Kansas, the fourth child of Clement A. and Lucy R (Zeller) Muckenthaler. She graduated from Paxico High School in 1946, studied a year at Kansas State Teachers College and married John E. Thornton in 1949. Mae gave birth to Mike, her first-born son, in Aberdeen, Maryland, in 1951 and as a military wife cared for her family as they moved from various posts, including in Alaska, Virginia, New Mexico and back to Aberdeen where Patrick, her second son, was born in 1966.
Mae divorced in 1974 and raised Patrick in Fairbanks, Alaska. She retired after 19 years as an administrative secretary for the Fairbanks Northstar Borough School District, enjoyed a long healthy retirement in El Paso, Texas, and spent her final years near Patrick in Santa Clara, California.
Mae was generous, modest and kind, a hard worker, and a dedicated and involved parent who listened to, encouraged and guided her sons. As a follower of Jesus Christ, she provided them with Catholic educations and modeled Christian behaviors such as prayer and serving others. Mae was an active member of various churches including St. Francis Assisi in Staunton, Virginia, Holy Comforter/Branchlands and Incarnation Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Immaculate Conception Catholic Parish in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Mae played baseball as a child, enjoyed catching with her sons and was always cheering for her Kansas sports teams. With a loving recollection of family and her formative years in Paxico, she admired her father’s kindness and her mother’s perseverance and faith, and throughout life practiced a generous service to family, friends and community. Mae always remembered birthdays, sending cards and letters to family, friends, former co-workers and ailing loved ones, trying to touch lives and lift spirits. She was always moving and often praying and reading her Bible, serving her family, doing chores, cooking, gardening, and walking.
Survivors are two sons, John M. “Mike” (MaryAnne) Thornton, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Sean P. “Patrick” (Chi) Thornton, Santa Clara, California; four grandchildren, Whitney (Jeremy) Gatesman, Charlottesville, Virginia, Michael (Tiffany) Thornton in Nashville, Tennessee, Andrew Thornton, Ashley Thornton both in Charlottesville, Virginia; six great-grandchildren; two sisters, Elizabeth “Betty” Orlaski, Camino, California, and Anita N. (Larry) Marstall, St. Marys, Kansas, and brother William J. “Bill” (Lorraine) Muckenthaler, Argonia, Kansas.
She was proceeded in death by her parents; sisters, Rose M. Muckenthaler, Stella M. Muckenthaler and Gladys O. Hunter; and brothers, Vernon C. “Bud”, Edwin A. and Paul F. Muckenthaler.
Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10:30?a.m. Monday, June 20, 2022, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Newbury. Inurnment will take place after the mass in Sacred Heart Cemetery with a reception to follow.
Published by Daily News-Miner on Mar. 13, 2022.
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