Henry James Thornton, Sr.

Henry James Thornton, Sr. Of Frederick died peacefully at home early Thursday morning, February 18,2010, with his wife, Earlene, by his side.

He was a devoted family man; a loving and supportive husband to Earlene; a great father to sons Henry II, Jeffrey and Donald and a caring grandfather to Landon Ray and Corey Gerard. He was also a dedicated educator.

Born in Leesville, South Carolina, April 8,1929, Henry was preceded in death by his parents Lula Boyd Thornton and John Henry Thornton, his brother Fred Thornton, and his son, Henry James Thornton II.

Mr. Thornton was a veteran who served our country as a member of the Infantry in the United States Army. He later attended Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. While at Winston-Salem University, he was inducted into the Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities and also joined Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, remaining active until 1990. He attended graduate school at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and then earned a Master's Degree in Education from Elmira College in Elmira, New York. Later, he did postgraduate study at McDaniel College (Western Maryland College) in Westminster, Maryland.

Henry and his wife, Earlene, worked in the public school systems in North Carolina, Richmond, Virginia, New York, and Elmira, New York before relocating to Frederick County, Maryland in 1972, when Henry became a teacher at Urbana Elementary School. He later taught at West Frederick Middle and Middletown Middle until his retirement in 1995. For Henry, teaching was a calling, not just a job, resulting in a rewarding and challenging experience for all of his students.

The Thornton family became members of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Frederick 35 years ago, and Henry served as an Usher for more than 34 of those years. He was also a member of the Area Military Strategy Team of the Maryland Lutheran Synod for the Frederick area.

The family's favorite avocations include theater, music and travel. The Thorntons used their 30-plus years membership in the Kennedy Center to regularly attend the Center's varied musical and theatrical productions. After their children completed their undergraduate education, Henry and Earlene's international travel included several trips to Great Britain, France and Italy. They also visited mainland China, Hong Kong, and Switzerland. Henry especially enjoyed sharing his travel adventures with his students.

His lifelong passion for music led him to write more than 300 songs. He enjoyed playing the piano and singing. In 1997, after much urging, he published a book, Reflections of Love in Song. A second edition was published in 2007, adding 50 more poems to the book.

Mr. Thornton's survivors include his wife, Earlene Thornton Ph.D., sons Jeffrey David of Albany, New York and Donald Eugene of Orlando, Florida; grandsons Corey Gerard of Orlando and Landon Ray of Rochester, New York; one brother, Thomas Thornton (Doris) of Winston-Salem, N.C. And two sisters, Mildred Payne (Arthur) of Winston-Salem, N.C. And Virginia D. Wilkes (Melvin) of Bridgeport, CT; niece Deborah Reed of Sewell, NJ; nephews Ronnie and Derwin Frederick (Dana) of Denver CO, Tyrone Davis of Bridgeport, CT, Steven Thornton of Winston-Salem NC, Ronnie Payne (Solanga) of Japan, and Keith Edwards (Nina) of Anaheim, CA.

Visitation: See above information

Services: Friends may call from 10:30 a.m. Until service time at 12:00 Noon, at the Evangelical Lutheran Church, 31 E. Church Street, Frederick on Saturday, February 27, with Reverand Walter Philip Fogarty presiding.
Interment Mt. Olivet Cemetery