Paul G. Thonn

Paul Thonn was born and raised in Northwood, Iowa in 1925. He was the son of Agnes, a teacher, homemaker, and businesswoman, and Paul Thonn Sr, an attorney. Later the family moved to Fargo, North Dakota and Paul went to High School there. Paul went to Army boot camp and joined the Army in 1943 when he was 18 years old. Paul passed an exam and went to Officer Training School and became a Lieutenant. He served in the Philippines, Korea, and Japan in World War 2 until 1945. He recalled meeting a Russian General on the North Korean border in 1945 on a bridge at the new partition of North and South Korea. And Paul transported surrendering Japanese soldiers on a train run between Angeles City and Manila, with one soldier each guarding a full train car of Japanese soldiers on these runs.

Paul attended University of North Dakota at Grand Forks and studied Engineering on the GI Bill. While in College Paul formed a band with the big band sound named the Statesmen. They were a popular band and toured around the Midwest playing dance and school events. While at UND he met Phyllis at the Luther Center, and they married in 1952, and they moved to Seattle after their honeymoon where Paul started a job as an Engineer at the Boeing Company. Their first son Daniel was born in 1954, followed by Douglas in 1957, and Derek in 1961.

Paul worked the evening shift at Boeing as an Engineer and studied Law at the University of Washington. After graduating in Law Paul was then promoted at Boeing to an Engine Contracts Manager on the 747 program. And he worked part time as an attorney. Paul and Phyllis led busy lives raising children and were youth leaders at the Holy Trinity Church on Mercer Island and were active in the Lutheran Church. And they loved to travel and traveled to Norway and Sweden and visited relatives there. They also traveled to Tunisia, Egypt, and later to China and to the Philippines. They also loved camping and boating and they like to take vacations on their boat to the San Juan Islands. Paul was on the high school tennis team and was an avid tennis player in his middle years.

Paul and Phyllis were highly involved in their children’s activities including baseball teams, soccer teams, ski trips, musical training and events, and school activities. Paul took the family on numerous ski trips around Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Paul took responsibility for and was involved in family care activities over most of his life with his parents Agnes and stepfather Charles, his Aunt Dagny, his father Paul Sr, as well as his own children, and later as caretaker for his wife Phyllis.

Paul and Phyllis retired to Whidbey Island in the 1990’s and joined the Trinity Lutheran Church and were active in the church, choir, and Paul was a leader of the church endowment committee and they enjoyed participating in the four-square group at the

church. Paul loved music his entire life and he entertained the family, played piano and enjoyed singing at his home on Whidbey, he enjoyed being in the Church Choir, and he led a quartet at the Church that had great harmonies. They had five grandchildren and later one great grandchild and loved to entertain and take care of the grandchildren and had them stay with them on the children’s vacations.

Paul was a faithful, religious, generous and solid family man and his lifetime dedication to family and church has been appreciated by all his family and friends and he will be highly missed.