Vera Arlene Thorne

(January 6, 1926 – February 5, 2017)

Vera Arlene (Frederick) Thorne passed away on February 5th, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. Vera grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota where she met Charles Thorne while in college. They were married in 1948 and had three children: Barbara, Nancy and Gary. Charles passed away from heart damage caused by childhood rheumatic fever when he was just 35 and Vera was 32 years old. After being widowed at such a young age, Vera went back to college to complete her teaching degree while raising her three young children as a single parent. Vera loved being an elementary teacher and went on to obtain a Master’s degree in Education while she was teaching. After retiring, Vera moved to Phoenix to live near her son Gary. Vera was a highly intellectual, fiercely independent and intensely private person. She was preceded in death by her husband Charles, her brother Dean, her sister Beverly, her daughter Barbara, and her grandson Nicholas. She is survived by her daughter Nancy (Paul), son Gary (Dawn), grandchildren Kristen, Carrie and Jessie, and great-grandchildren Tyler, Kelsey, Riley and Malakai. Vera was greatly loved and will be missed tremendously.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations may be sent to Vera’s favorite charity, the American Cancer Society.