1944
Charles
2015
Charles Thornton
October 28, 1944 — August 8, 2015
Charles “Larry” Thornton of Brandon peacefully went to be with his Heavenly Father on Saturday, August 8, 2015, after an extended illness. A loving son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and friend to many, Larry was born October 28, 1944, in Carthage, Miss. He graduated from Madison-Ridgeland High School in 1963 and attended Holmes Community College. After a 33-year career in auto sales and management, Larry and his partner and wife, Jodi Edwards Thornton, founded J&L Abstractors. They spent their time together traveling central Mississippi retrieving legal documents for lawyers, banks, and mortgage companies across the state.
Affectionately known as “Coach,” Larry was an avid sportsman and outdoorsman. He shared his love of hunting and fishing, including time on the water and in the woods, with his family and friends starting at an early age. He was baptized in the Pearl River as a teenager and spent many years after on that water and the Rez. He was a member of Pearl River Bass Club, where he was named Fisherman of the Year 2008 and served as president of the club 2009-2013. For many years before his health began to fail, he was an avid golfer, having won the Deposit Guarantee Golf Classic Pro-Am Tournament in the 1990s.
He is preceded in death by his father, Herbert B. Thornton.
In addition to his wife of 19 years, Jodi Edwards Thornton of Brandon, he is survived by his mother, Helen Frances Howell Thornton; two sisters, Frances (Larry) Perry of Madison and Judy Thorpe of Brandon; four children and their spouses, Tracy (Peter) Yanez of Diamondhead, Christy (Fred) Welch of Long Beach, Jacob (Ashlea) Edwards of Avondale Estates, Ga.; Jessica (Brian) Elwell of Brandon; six grandchildren, Scott Heggins and Katie Heggins, both of Gulfport, Ricky Welch of Long Beach, Brianna Elwell of Brandon, Zachary Yanez of Diamondhead, and Katie Yanez of Jackson; three great-grandchildren, Aiden Heggins and Sophia Parker, both of Gulfport, and Taylor Bingham of Diamondhead; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday at Ott and Lee Funeral Home in Brandon. Funeral Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at the funeral home, followed by burial in Sunrise Cemetery in Carthage, MS at 12 Noon.
Affectionately known as “Coach,” Larry was an avid sportsman and outdoorsman. He shared his love of hunting and fishing, including time on the water and in the woods, with his family and friends starting at an early age. He was baptized in the Pearl River as a teenager and spent many years after on that water and the Rez. He was a member of Pearl River Bass Club, where he was named Fisherman of the Year 2008 and served as president of the club 2009-2013. For many years before his health began to fail, he was an avid golfer, having won the Deposit Guarantee Golf Classic Pro-Am Tournament in the 1990s.
He is preceded in death by his father, Herbert B. Thornton.
In addition to his wife of 19 years, Jodi Edwards Thornton of Brandon, he is survived by his mother, Helen Frances Howell Thornton; two sisters, Frances (Larry) Perry of Madison and Judy Thorpe of Brandon; four children and their spouses, Tracy (Peter) Yanez of Diamondhead, Christy (Fred) Welch of Long Beach, Jacob (Ashlea) Edwards of Avondale Estates, Ga.; Jessica (Brian) Elwell of Brandon; six grandchildren, Scott Heggins and Katie Heggins, both of Gulfport, Ricky Welch of Long Beach, Brianna Elwell of Brandon, Zachary Yanez of Diamondhead, and Katie Yanez of Jackson; three great-grandchildren, Aiden Heggins and Sophia Parker, both of Gulfport, and Taylor Bingham of Diamondhead; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday at Ott and Lee Funeral Home in Brandon. Funeral Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at the funeral home, followed by burial in Sunrise Cemetery in Carthage, MS at 12 Noon.
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