Alphonse Thornton was my great-grandfather. I never met him, because he died when my father was still a small boy. Here is his obituary, as posted in a local Sioux City, IA newspaper on 27 Apr 1959 :
Alphonse J. Thornton
Funeral services for Alphonse J. Thornton, 68, 712 W. Fifth street, who died Saturday night after suffering a heart attack at the Hollywood theater where he was a doorman, will be at 10:30 am. Tuesday at St. Boniface Catholic church. Rev. Ralph Scherrer will officiate. Burial will be in Calvary cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Harry Robinson, Albert Mullen, Elmer Watkins, Eugene Thompson, Howard Hanneman and Richard Evens.
The rosary will be recited at 8 o’clock tonight at the Larkin funeral home.
Mr. Thornton was dead on arrival at a hospital to which he was taken by a fire department inhalator squad.
He was born September 4, 1889, at Hubbard, Neb. He came to Sioux City in 1908. He married Mary Robinson November 24, 1915, in Sioux City. They moved to Westfield, Ia., returning to Sioux City in 1938.
He was employed by Swift & Co. for 12 years, retiring 4 years ago.
Survivors include the widow; four sons, Bonnie and Charles of Rock Island, Ill., A.J. Jr., of Sioux City and James of Silver Springs, Md.; two daughters, Miss Darlene Thornton of Sioux City and Miss Jean Thornton of San Francisco; 12 grandchildren; two brothers, Clarence of Sioux City and Edward of Des Moines and two sisters, Mrs. Marie McHale of Portland, Ore., and Mrs. Irene Bowen of Thurman, Ia.
