John Thornton

John “Jackie” Thornton was born on September 4, 1949 in American Fork, Utah. He was the 3rd child to his loving parents, William and Betty Thornton. Jackie was diagnosed at birth with hydrocephalus and was not expected to live past the age of 7. He had a stubborn streak and he could not be persuaded when he made up his mind about something. It was this stubborn streak along with the love and care from his parents and family that can be attributed to him living to the age of 70.

Jackie was involved in every family event and activity. He spent his younger years traveling, camping, boating and fishing. He loved to fish. Jackie would go to church and bear his testimony every fast Sunday. He held the priesthood and was ordained an Elder. Additionally, he was a member of a handicapped scout troop and earned enough merit badges to become a Life Scout.
Jackie loved listening to music and as he got older he could often be found in his room listening to records on his record player. He had a beautiful singing voice and he participated in a choir at the Training School where they sang for many different groups and congregations.

Jackie would get up every morning and go to workshop. He did a wide variety of tasks but he liked to be the weigher. In 2004 he fell and hit his head, and had to have an operation to remove a blood clot from his brain. He was sent to a care center for recovery. He didn’t quite bounce back from that and his parents made the difficult decision to place him in a care center permanently. He ended up at the Provo Care Center and lived there until he passed away. We want to give a special thank you to the staff at the Provo Care Center for the kindness you continually showed Jackie. Jackie had a sweet, peaceful spirit. He was so polite and everyone who met him loved him. He passed away on January 12, 2020 in Provo, Utah.

He is survived by his father, William Thornton; two brothers, Terry Thornton and Ron Thornton; and his six sisters, Karma Harmer, Linda Street, Rose Marie Williams, Kathaleen Thomson, Cheryl Harris and Kimberly Buhler. He was preceded in death by his mother, Betty Thornton, and his brother, Michael Thornton.
There will be a viewing held Saturday, January 18 from 9:45-10:45am at the Anderson & Sons Mortuary (49 East 100 North American Fork, UT). The funeral will follow at 11:00am also at Anderson & Sons Mortuary. Burial will be in the American Fork Cemetery.