Bernita Thorn

Bernita Stoecker Thorn's life came to an end October 27, 2016 at Brookdale Care. She was the daughter of Barney and Grace Stoecker, born September 13, 1928 in Oakley, Kansas. The family lived in rural southwest Logan County where her father was a wheat farmer. She attended a rural one room school through grade 8 before attending high school in Monument, Kansas. She graduated valedictorian of her class of 5.

Her father enrolled her at Kansas State College in 1945 in Home Economics and Nursing. She completed 3 years at Kansas State and then transferred to Kansas City to the KU Medical School where she graduated in the summer of 1951 with her combined degrees in Home Economics from K-State and nursing from KU. She was employed by Vail Hospital before becoming office nurse for Dr. Harry Davis. Upon his retirement she went back to Kansas State University to earn her Master Degree in Aging. She was then employed by Presbyterian Manors of Mid America where she traveled Missouri and Kansas visiting with congregations about developing Presbyterian Manors.

She was very active at Westminster Presbyterian where she was the second woman to be elected to the Session Board. She was an active member of Chapter FI of PEO and an avid golfer at Shawnee Country Club.

September 3, 1950 she married Robert Thorn in the Chapel at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Topeka, Kansas. They celebrated 66 years of marriage. They have two children, Richard Thorn of Longmont, Colorado and Judy Nichols of Scottsdale, Arizona, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Bernita was cremated. Memorial services will be held November 4, 2016 at 11:00AM at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1275 SW Boswell. Memorial donations may be made to Westminster Church or the Bob & Bernita Thorn Civil Engineering Excellence Fund at Kansas State.