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Obituary for Joan Thornburg
Joan Thornburg, 83, of Menlo passed away on Thursday, March 26, 2015 at the Stuart Community Care Center. Visitation will be held from 6-8 P.M. on Tuesday, April 7th at the Johnson Family Funeral Home in Stuart. Graveside memorial service will be held at 11 A.M. on Wednesday, April 8th at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Menlo. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Joan Thornburg Memorial Fund and sent in care of the funeral home. Online condolences may be left at www.johnsonfamilyfuneralhome.com.
Joan was born June 15, 1931 in Menlo, Iowa to Gerald E. and Mildred E. Dupuy Cline. She was raised in Menlo and graduated from Menlo High School with the class of 1949. After graduating, Joan was united in marriage to Verne Everett Thornburg on September 22, 1950 at the United Methodist Church in Menlo. To this union three children were born, Gary, Bobbie Ann, and Penny. After their marriage Verne’s work took Joan and him to Utah where they lived for a few years before moving to Colfax and finally settling back in the Menlo area in 1961 to help out at the Thornburg Food Market in Menlo. They operated the grocery store from the mid 60’s to the early 70’s. After they sold the grocery store, Joan ran an in house day care until her retirement in the late 1980’s. She was an active member of the United Methodist Church in Menlo where she taught Sunday school and was active in the United Methodist Women’s group. Joan also belonged to the Mary Circle, Ao-Kia study club, American Legion Auxiliary, served as the historian for the Menlo Alumni Banquet, belonged to a bowling league, and served several years on the Library board. She enjoyed cooking and baking and to this day is famous for her pies. Joan, also enjoyed, crafts of all sorts, huck toweling, cross stitching, and was an avid reader. Joan volunteered at the Stuart Community Care Center and was in charge of their Current Events. Joan was known for years as a Stuart-Menlo Band Mom as well as volunteering throughout the Menlo and Stuart communities.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Gerald and Mildred Cline, her beloved husband Verne Thornburg in 2006 and infant sister, Dorothy Cline.
