Obituary of LCDR Jackie S. Thornhill, USCG (Ret.)

LCDR Jackie S. Thornhill, USCG (Ret.) has made landfall at his final port of call. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at Lake Regional Hospital on April 6, 2018.

Jackie was born at North Kansas City, Missouri on July 29, 1932, to Jack and Margaret Thornhill. He had two brothers, Bill and Donnie, and three sisters, Maggie, Shirley, and Judy. The only sibling to survive is Shirley of Renick, Missouri.

Jackie and his family lived in rural Randolph and Howard Counties and attended Higbee schools until he left home to serve his country in 1950. Initially, he enlisted in the Missouri National Guard on active duty, went to basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood and was stationed in Kansas City. After a period of about a year, he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard and went to basic training at Cape May, New Jersey.

His subsequent duty stations were Vicksburg, Mississippi, Hilo, Hawaii, Kohala, Hawaii, Galveston, Texas, Pensacola, Florida, Alameda, California, New Orleans, Louisiana, Kodiak, Alaska, Juneau Alaska, and St. Louis, Missouri, where he retired in 1973 after 23 years of honorable service. He rose through the ranks to E-7, was selected for Officer Candidate School in 1959 and attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander (O-4) with a permanent grade of Chief Warrant Officer 4 (E-7).

In 1951 while on leave in Kansas City, his sister Maggie brought home her co-worker Anna Lea Wilson for Jackie to meet. They were married on January 26, 1952, in Huntsville, Arkansas. Recently, they celebrated 66 years of marriage. To that union were born three children; Stephen and wife Donna live Florissant, Missouri; Rich and wife Karen live in St. Charles, Missouri; and Sue Blankenship and husband Terry live in Osage Beach, Missouri. Additionally, they have nine grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren and a multitude of friends throughout Missouri.

In the 45 years after retirement from active duty, Jackie and Anna lived and worked in Caruthersville, Missouri, Higbee, Missouri, Cole Camp, Missouri, Linn Creek, Missouri, and most recently Osage Beach, Missouri. Jackie continued to live a life of service as president of the Lions Club in Cole Camp, joined two medical missions to Central America, and most recently as mayor of Linn Creek for 4 years. After his military retirement, he worked as an accident investigator and safety inspector, auctioneer, real estate sales, and owned and operated a small business repairing and installing gasoline pump equipment throughout the Lake of the Ozarks area. He was an active pendulum clock collector and repairman.

Throughout his life, Jackie was a friend, encourager, and inspiration to all he met. He was the embodiment of integrity, hard work and good cheer.

Services will be held Friday, April 13, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at Hedges-Scott Funeral Home in Osage Beach, Missouri.  Inurnment with full military honors will follow services at the Veterans Wall, Lake Memorial Gardens, Osage Beach, Missouri.

Memorials are suggested to Lake Regional Hospital Serenity Suite.