Joan 'Jo' (Strom) Thornton

Joan ‘Jo’ Thornton, 69, of Clarion passed away Sunday, September 3, 2017 at Iowa Specialty Hospital in Clarion.

Funeral services for Jo Thornton will be held on Friday, September 8, 2017 at 10:00AM at Holmes Lutheran Church, 2139 Hancock Avenue in rural Clarion, with Pastor Rich Taylor officiating. Burial will take place at Evergreen Cemetery in Clarion.

Visitation for Jo Thornton will be held from 4:00PM to 7:00PM on Thursday, September 7, 2017 at Ewing Funeral Home, 1801 Central Avenue East in Clarion, and will continue one hour prior to services at the church on Friday.

Joan “Jo” Kay Thornton, the daughter of Kerner “Kay” and Lola (Johnson) Strom was born July 26, 1948 in Iowa City, Iowa. She was raised and educated in Clarion, graduating from Clarion High School with the Class of 1966. Following high school, Jo attended and graduated from Hamilton Business College in Mason City.

Jo was united in marriage to Thomas E. Thornton on August 13, 1977 at First Lutheran Church in Clarion. The couple recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Jo and Tom were blessed with a daughter, Julie. Jo often described Julie as “the light of her life,” always supporting Julie no matter what.

Jo worked for more than 30 years as a medical transcriptionist at the hospitals in Clarion and Belmond. Prior to that, she worked for Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids and in the Wright County Treasurer’s Office for a few years.

Jo was a longtime member of the Holmes Lutheran Church, where she was active in the Home Circle Ladies Group. She also participated in the Circle of Hope ladies faith group.

Jo was very active in the Wright County Republicans, serving as secretary for several years. She also worked with the Wright County Relay for Life.

Jo loved crocheting, was a member of the Knit-Wits crocheting group, and made baby blankets for countless family and friends. She and Tom enjoyed motorcycle rides, playing cards and spending time with family and friends. She continuously expanded her collection of purses and shoes on various shopping trips, and was famous for her chocolate chip bars and no-bake cookies.

Jo is survived by her husband, Tom of Clarion; daughter Julie (Rob) Schmidt of Clarion; beloved cat Boots; grand-kitty Princess; sister-in-law Suzanne (Richard) Burlingame of Galway, New York; brothers-in-law Steve (Laurie) Thornton of Colton, New York and Hugh (Martha) Gilliland of Edmond, Oklahoma; along with several nieces and nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.

Jo was preceded in death by her parents; uncle and aunt Chick and Norma Drehsen; parents-in-law Edward and Janet Thornton; and brother-in-law David Juckett.