Joanne Ruby Thornock
June 6, 1946 – June 23, 2020
Joanne was born in Independence, Iowa, to C. Virgil & Mary Eleanor (Kleckner) Foster during the baby boom on June 6, 1946, following the Great Depression. Joanne was raised on a farm in Iowa then Nebraska before moving to Fruita, Colorado, at the age of 6. When she was 16 her mother died of cancer. She and her older brother, Howard, helped their father raise chickens, sheep, corn, and alfalfa. Her dad built a dehydrator plant to make pellets from the alfalfa, which burned down just as it began to turn a profit. To make payments, he worked as a custodian at their high school where he watched his children mature. Joanne was in marching band and a fire baton twirler before graduating from high school in 1964. She attended Western State College and graduated from Central Business School in Denver where she met Tony Thornock from Emmett, Idaho; whom she married on July 23, 1966. They had two children, Marece (1968) and Ty (1970), whom they raised in a house built with their own hands in Longmont, Colorado. Joanne & Tony were baptized in 1972 by Bob Willis at the Longmont Church of Christ where they served the congregation as teachers, organizers and with Tony as a deacon and elder. Joanne worked for VW Dealership as a bookkeeper, Home Interiors as a sales rep, St Vrain Valley School District as a heath aid, Shop & Save as a cashier then department manager, and May D & F as a department manager. After 25 years, they moved to Austin, Texas, for 18 years where she continued her career as a manager with Foley’s then Brighton Collectibles and Tony with IBM, NCDi, and Tivoli in IT. She also became “Mimi” to 6 grandchildren: Malynn (22 married to Paul Wodka), Alexander (18) & Alayna Clark (18) of North Carolina; and Nicole (20), Emily (18) & Breleigh (12) Thornock of Wisconsin. After their retirement, they moved to Athens, Alabama. In everyplace they lived, they served the Church of Christ congregation, creating lifetime friends, and organized many adventures for the Prime Timers. She also served 2 years on the board of directors for Athens Ladies Civitan Club & as co-chair of onion sales, participated in activities at the Decatur Senior Center, and was Anthony Thorn’s sales rep. On the morning of June 23, 2020, she was lifted up to heaven from her home surrounded by family. Her visitation will be held at Central Church of Christ on Friday, June 26 from 5:00 until 8:00 PM and memorial service will be at Central Church of Christ in Athens on Saturday, June 27 at 2:00 PM. She will lie in state from 1:00 until 2:00 PM at the church with graveside service immediately following at Roselawn Cemetery.
Donation can also be made to Central Church of Christ Prime Timers in Mrs. Thornock’s memory.
