Alice Canty Thorn

Alice was born in Baltimore, MD, on July 24, 1933, to Timothy Andrew Canty and Alice Bostwick Canty. They moved to Rockledge in 1937, where the Canty family built a home on the river road. Alice also had ancestors who had been in Florida from as early as 1815. She was extremely interested in genealogy and spent many happy days over a period of decades continuing her research into all sides of her family. Her knowledge of her extended family was both vast and fascinating.

Alice married Peter Stuart Thorn of England in April 1955. Together, they opened a bookselling business that developed into Thorn’s Books, a well-known Cocoa business for 25 years. After Peter’s death in 1985, the bookstore closed and Alice volunteered to work with Brevard Hospice, which had been a tremendous help to the family during Peter’s final days. She then worked at Wuesthoff Hospital for 11 years as a Health Unit Coordinator, a job she loved and one in which she made several good friends.

Alice was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, as well as her sisters, Margaret Rose Canty and Helen Canty Berns and grandson Robert Moreau Phipps. She is survived by all 4 of her children, Kathleen Thorn Cano (and husband Randolph), Patricia Thorn Phipps, Michael Andrew Thorn, and Brian Stuart Thorn, and her grandchildren Olivia Alice Cano Hartshorn (and husband John), Kenneth Stuart Phipps, Peter Randolph Cano, and Andrew Moreau Phipps. In addition, she leaves behind her dear cousins Barbara Bostwick Edwards and Betsy Bostwick Agnew.

Alice was a wonderful mother and grandmother who was much loved and will be greatly missed. A small service is being planned for family and friends. Alice was a lifelong reader and book lover and used to tell her grandchildren that “the car won’t start until you’ve read a page in your book.” In lieu of flowers, please donate a book to your local library in her honor. Nothing would make her happier than knowing that another book had been read.