L. Thorson

Obituary of L. Dwayne Thorson

Smethport - L. Dwayne Thorson, 91, of Smethport, PA, died Sunday (May 17, 2015) in the Olean General Hospital, Olean, NY. He was born November 6, 1923 in Hugo, Colorado, a son of Paul and Louella Smith Thorson. On August 18, 1951, in Jamestown, NY, in the First Lutheran Church, he married Dorothy E. Carlson, who died Dec. 7, 1976. Dwayne Thorson grew up in Omaha and was a graduate of Omaha Technical High School in 1941. He attended several Lutheran colleges before becoming a pilot in the United States Air Force during World War II, serving from 1944-1947. He graduated with a B.A. in English from Augsburg College, Minnesota in May of 1950 and earned an M.Div. from the Lutheran Brethren Seminary of Fergus Falls in May of 1960. He was shortly ordained as a minister in Faith Lutheran, Blue Earth, Minnesota, and served as full-time or part-time pastor for several different churches. His last church was People's Church of Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania. He also attended several graduate schools, graduating with an M.A. in Elementary Education from Edinboro State College in August of 1971. Rev. Thorson ultimately was a teacher, employed by Sugar Grove Elementary School in Warren County before his retirement. He continued teaching after retirement as a substitute for several years. He is survived by: one daughter: Sharon (David) Herzog of Smethport one son: Stephen (Rebecca) Thorson of Kathmandu, Nepal four grandchildren: Christina (Stephen) Sanders, Mark Thorson, Philip (Caitlin) Herzog and Jessica Hurst four great grandchildren: Maya & Jonathan Sanders, Olivia Herzog, and Kiera Hurst. and many nieces and nephews In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by three brothers and two sisters. Visitation will be held on Thursday from 6-8 P.M. at Hartle-Tarbox Funeral Homes, Inc., 2 Bank St., Smethport, PA. Funeral and committal services will be held Friday, May 22 at 11:00 am in the Sawyer Evangelical Church of Bradford, with the Rev. Lynn Cirigliano, officiating. Burial will be in the Lakeview Cemetery, Jamestown, NY. Memorials in Dwayne's name, if desired, may be made to The World Mission Prayer League (www.wmpl.org), 232 Clifton Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403, USA. Online condolences may be made at www.hartle-tarboxfuneralhomes.com Arrangements are under the direction of the Hartle-Tarbox Funeral Homes, Inc., Smethport.»(Do not delete this line. It does not print. Text that is to appear on web must be entered before this line)
Thursday
1
January

Funeral Service

Thursday, January 1, 1970
Sawyer Evangelical Church
Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States
Service Time: 11:00 AM
Friday
22
May

Interment at: Lakeview Cemetery

1:00 pm
Friday, May 22, 2015
Lakeview Cemetery
Jamestown, New York, United States
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