Lee E. Thorn

Passed away on Thursday, January 15, 2004 at Elcor Health Services. He was 83 years old and a resident of Elmira for the past 33 years. Mr. Thorn?s health had deteriorated since suffering a stroke in October. Lee Edward Thorn was born April 3, 1920 in Crowley, LA and grew up there. His parents were Angeline Hebert and Madison Thorn. Mr. Thorn had 3 brothers and 3 sisters. During WW II, in 1942 at Crowley, LA, Mr. Thorn enlisted in the US Army. At Ft. Benning, GA, he was assigned to Company B-730, Military Police Battalion. As part of his tour of duty, Mr. Thorn came to Elmira where he met his future wife, Catherine Childs of Elkland, PA. Lee and Catherine were married in 1943 in Elmira, before Mr. Thorn was deployed to other locations in New York State and later overseas to North Africa and Italy. Their marriage endured for 61 years until Mr. Thorn?s death. In 1945, Mr. Thorn was honorably discharged from the US Army at Camp Shelby, MS. After a brief stay in Crowley, LA, he and his wife retuned to Pennsylvania and New York. Mr. Thorn lived in Elkland, PA; Savona, NY; and Elmira, NY. He was employed as a factory worker with the Elkland Leathergoods Company in Elkland, PA; the Ingersoll Rand Company in Painted Post, NY; and the General Electric Company in Elmira, NY. Mr. Thorn was most recently a member of the Horseheads Church of Christ. His wife Catherine and their son Robert, both of Elmira, NY and a large family of nieces, nephews and in-laws who will miss him dearly, survive Mr. Thorn. Family and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service to celebrate Lee?s life on Saturday, January 24, 2004 at 11:00 AM in the Church of Christ 165 Miller Street Horseheads, NY. Paul J. DeHart will officiate. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Olthof Funeral Home, Inc. A ?Candle of Remembrance? may be left for the family at www.olthof.com.