1963 Funeral Notices and Obituaries for Pomeroy Related People

Harl Matthew Thornton

Funeral services were held at 2 p. m.. Wednesday, March 20, for the late Harl Matthew Thornton, 87, Pataha Flat pioneer, who passed away March 18 at Garfield County Memorial hospital.

Mr. Thornton was born on Pataha Flat on Jan. 1 1876. His parents were Eli and Sarah Thornton, On Dec. 30, 1895, Thornton was married to Mrs. Thornton, daughter of Mr. and Mrs Joseph Dixon. They had observed their 66th wedding anniversary in 1966 only a few months before Mrs. Thornton passed away in 1962.

Eli Thornton was killed his son was only four years old. Harl went with his mother to Farmington and later to College Place.

It was while living at College Place that Thornton, age 16, hired out to a gang of surveyors who were laying out what is now known as Walla Walla College. His job was to drive stakes and he was to drive the first stake for the college. Later he attended the college before returning to Garfield county where be would marry.

After a short residence at Walla Walla, where he worked in a flour mill, they returned to Pataha Flat where he was to farm until retirement [which] came in 1936. Then, they took up residence in Pomeroy, ]iving in the house on 14th street until hospitalized last spring.

He was a member of the Methodist church.

Survivors are three daughters: Mrs. Gertrude Armstrong, Mrs. Wayne (Ellen) Beale, both Pomeroy, and Mrs. Richard (Zora) Klinger, Hollywood, Calif.; three sons; Bluford and Lendon, both Clarkston, and Dick Thornton, Sunnyside; one sister, Rilla Hardin, Berkeley, Calif.; four grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

One half brother, Lonnie Jones, resides at Stanwood, north of Seattle.

The Rev. John P. Johnson was in charge of the services held in the Richardson Funeral Home. Interment followed in the Pataha Flat cemetery where Thornton was laid alongside of his wife who preceded him in death on May 22, 1962.

Active pallbearers were Clark Long, Eugene Williams, Bert Greene, Bill Greene, Delwin Williams and Ronald Wills, Honorary pallbearers were Vic Wills, William Hoppe, E. S. Sleeman, William McCanse, C. A. McCabe and Harold Heth.