William Duncan Thorne

William Duncan Thorne (“Bill”), 89, passed away on Tuesday April 30, 2013. Bill was a native of Schuylerville, NY and spent many years in Raleigh. He was predeceased by his wife and love of 67 years, Doris Sherman Thorne.

He is survived by his four children Robert Thorne of Wake Forest, NC; Alan Thorne of Midlothian, VA; Patricia Schmoeger of Raleigh, NC; and Nancy Hinkel of Naples, NY; by daughters-in-law Susan Thorne and Catherine Thorne; by son-in-law Terry Schmoeger and (pre-deceased) son-in-law William Hinkel; grandchildren Stephanie Thompson, Jennifer Thorne, Suzanne Horton, Bryan Thorne, Michelle Thorne, Adam Schmoeger, Adam Hinkel and Chris Hinkel and by great-grandchildren William Horton, Sydney Horton, Zeke Hinkel and Reese Hinkel.

After serving his country in the Pacific theater during WWII with the Army Air Force 418th Night Fighter Squadron he attended Union College, received a BSEE and spent his working career with IBM as an engineer, manager and award winning inventor. He was best known for his printer development projects but what he loved most was the guys he worked with. People who have passion and love for their work are rare but Bill claimed that he never worked a day in his life.

On his days off, Bill could often be found with his head under the hood of a car or keeping busy in his workshop building or fixing things. He rebuilt his own car engines, he taught Boy Scouts Morse code, was an avid bridge player, a track star, a genealogist, a Carolina Basketball fan, a voluminous reader and taught his kids to swim using the teabag method. He never uttered a hateful word. He loved his family and his fellow man until the day he died.

A memorial service will be held 2PM Monday May 6, 2013 at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home on 1701 E. Millbrook Road, Raleigh for friends and family. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Hospice of Wake County or www.woundedwarriorproject.org