Wanda Mae Thorn

Wanda Mae (Massey) Thorn September 10, 1928 ~ March 13, 2013 Wanda passed away peacefully at Tuscany Cottage in Malaga, WA. Wanda, the tenth of 11 children, was born in Locust Grove, AR, to Nora Deborah (Griffis) and Grover Cleveland Massey. She attended schools in Locust Grove and Desha, AR, where she was an all county and all district basketball player. After World War II, she married her high school sweetheart, John Clarence "JC" Thorn. The Wenatchee Daily World in 1946 wrote, "The single ring ceremony, beautiful in its simplicity, (w)as performed by Ralph Ramakin, justice of the peace, Saturday morning, July 27, at 9:30 o'clock in East Wenatchee, WA." In the next year, they returned for a short time to Arkansas, where they ran a store and farmed cotton and their daughter was born in September of 1947. Returning to the Wenatchee Valley, their son was born in October, 1949. They have lived in Orondo, Cashmere, Entiat, Sunnyslope and East Wenatchee. Wanda worked for MacArthur Ranch in Entiat, Cedergreens Frozen Foods, Homer Trefry Orchards, as well as in their own orchards in Sunnyslope and in the area surrounding Pangborn Memorial Airport. All this and she was a wonderful homemaker and baker of pies. She was known by her extended family and friends for her love of children, selflessness, hard work (always the ever ready rabbit), and in the Massey tradition - a subtle sense of humor. Wanda was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years; parents; seven brothers, Robert Aubrey, Thomas Oliver, Kenneth Dorr, JK, Grover Cleveland Jr., Jessie Willard, and Wayman Carl; and one sister, Neva Audrey Churchwell. She is survived by her children, Darcy Lees of Federal Way and Larry Thorn of East Wenatchee; four grandchildren, Jerry Thorn of East Wenatchee, Lisa Deskins of East Wenatchee, Michael Thorn of East Wenatchee and Ian Lees of Milton; six great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Irene Morton of Wenatchee and Mildred Ivoy Magouyrk of Hot Springs, AR. Nephews who lived with the family for a time were Steve Merrill, Gene Merrill, and Darrel Massey. A Funeral Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 19, 2013, at Telford's Chapel of the Valley in East Wenatchee. Viewing will be held from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Arrangements by Telford's Chapel of the Valley, East Wenatchee.

Wanda Mae Thorn

September 10, 1928 - March 13, 2013