Ancestral File Number: DGKD-SW

1. 2. Laurie Johanna WILSON   b. 16 Jul 1952; d. 8 Jun 1995.

Deseret News Archives,
Saturday, June 10, 1995

DEATH: LAURIE W. THORNTON

Laurie Johanna Wilson Thornton, 42, died June 8, 1995, due to cardiac arrest
while swimming.

Born July 16, 1952 in Glendale, California to William R. andLaPriel Goodwin Wilson. She was valedictorian at Glendale High School and graduated summa cum laude from BYU in humanities. Laurie worked as a writer and editor for The Ensign and The Friend magazines and later was a freelance writer. She married Scott Charles Thornton on October 19, 1979 in the Salt Lake Temple.
Laurie was a caring, listening wife and mother. Laurie lost her sight in 1982 due to complications of diabetes. She lifted and inspired countless peopleas she shared her courage and faith in dealing with her disability. She lovedthe scriptures and was a masterful teacher of the gospel, using her incredible
memory. Her abilities were tapped at BYU Education Week and in various general church committees. She was a favorite storyteller and music leader at local schools. She was fun-loving and had a dramatic flair, acting in many plays at school and community theaters. She loved music, especially singing in smallgroups and choirs, and to her children. Laurie was a diligent exerciser, swimming one mile every weekday morning. She used a talking computer (which she named Gandalf) to
write and to organize her home and life.

24 She is survived by her husband and her children, Matthew, Chailyn, and Benjamin. Her son, Nathan, preceded her in death. She is also survived by her parents; a sister, Sandy Wilson; and numerous aunts and cousins. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, June 13, 1995, 12 Noon, at the West Bountiful Stake Center, 1930 North 600West in West Bountiful. Friends may call Monday
from 6 to 8 p.m. at Larkin Mortuary, 260 East South Temple, and Tuesday at the Stake Center from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. Interment will be at the Lakeview Memorial Estates Cemetery in
Bountiful. In lieu of flowers, family suggests donations to the American DiabetesAssociation.

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1995 Deseret News Publishing Co.