Obituary of Kenneth Thornhill

untitled1 Kenneth Thornhill Kenneth Thornhill, 89, of the Deanville community, passed away Wednesday, July 8th, 2009. Ken was born on May 10th, 1920 in Gainsboro, Lincolnshire, England to Wilfred and Ada Annie Thornhill. Ken was the last remaining member of his immediate family, being preceded in death by: his parents; his wife, Wilda Irene (Dawson) Thornhill; his brothers, Raymond Clifford and wife Sadie, William James and wife Morag (who survives), and Herman “Bill” Thornhill; his sister Kathy “Kathy Kay” Thornhill McCulloch and her husband Archie; also a grand-nephew, Andrew Roth. He is survived by his nephews Ken McCulloch and wife Amanda, Stewart McCulloch and wife Jan of Great Britain, Donald McCulloch and wife Suzanne of France, Ronald Roth and wife Connie, Neil Roth and wife Susan, Ralph Dawson and wife Loretta, all of Buckhannon, Richard Dawson of California, Lynn Dawson of Texas, and nieces June Britton of Elkins and Janet Sue Voss of California, and many grand nieces and nephews. Although Ken was born in Lincolnshire, his family moved to London shortly after his birth. In 1940 Ken was called for military service with the Royal Air Force and was sent to Raipur, India. He completed his service in 1946 and returned home. In 1947 Ken sailed to America aboard the Queen Mary -- not as a passenger, but as a stowaway, so great was his desire to become an American citizen. His first job in America was at the Empire State Building working for the Longchamps Restaurant. In the summer of 1948 he moved to New Hampshire to work at Camp Robin Hood teaching children archery, riflery, and theatre. During the years 1948-1950 Ken spent his summer teaching at Camp Robin Hood and his winters working in New York City. In 1950 Ken moved to Hollywood Florida, where he met and soon thereafter married Wilda Irene Dawson on March 28, 1951. The couple decided to return to Wilda’s hometown of Buckhannon in 1952, where they resided for the remainder of their lives. Ken and Wilda built the Hillbillie Supermarket in Deanville in the 1960s. They created the name by combining “Hill” from Thornhill and “Billie” from the unique spelling of Wilda’s nickname. Besides running a successful business, Ken was very active in local theatre productions. He co-directed The Music Man with Jim Knorr; starred in productions of the Gilbert and Sullivan musicals Mikado, HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and Dessert Song. Ken also starred in Buckhannon Community Theatre’s productions of Annie Get Your Gun, Brigadoon, Oliver, Finian’s Rainbow, and A Christmas Carol. Ken directed five Strawberry Festival productions and the Strawberry Festival Queen’s Coronation ceremonies. Ken received a degree from “The School of Hard Knocks” in the 1990’s. presented to him by Alderson-Broaddus College. Ken spent the first sixteen years of his retirement totally devoted to the care of his wife Wilda who fell ill to Alzheimers Disease. Following her death in January 2000, he busied himself with caring for his home, loving to mow grass and feed the birds and deer in his yard; and enjoying weekly trips to town and an occasional musical production by the Arts community. He especially enjoyed visits and phone conversations with all his friends, especially special friends Kay and Ron Hurst, Jane Slaughter, Frank and Jane Williams, Alan Neal, and Jim and Judy Knorr. Ken’s presence will be missed by all who knew and loved him. Friends will be received at the Poling-St. Clair Funeral Home Monday, July 13, 2009 6-8 PM. Funeral services will be held 2 PM Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at the funeral home with Minister Alan Neal. Burial will follow in the Sand Run Baptist Church Cemetery. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.polingstclair.com. Poling-St. Clair Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Visitation Monday July 13, 2009 6-8 PM Poling-St. Clair Funeral Home Funeral Service Tuesday, July 14, 2009 2 PM Funeral Home Burial Sand Run Baptist Church Cem.