Trevor Edward Thornton

Trevor Edward Thornton of O'Fallon, Missouri, passed away at the age of 85 on Monday, March 8, 2021. Loving husband of Winnie Thornton (nee Windhorst); beloved son of the late Mary Nadine and Andrew Thornton; devoted father of Michael (Mary Rose) Thornton, Wendy (Michael) McIntyre, Matthew (Maria) Thornton, and Kelly (Karen) Thornton; cherished grandfather of Melissa Thornton, Trevor Thornton, Yuan Mirando, Michael McIntyre, William McIntyre, Maria Thornton, Matthew Thornton, Ella Thornton, and Shane Thornton; dearest brother of Lilas Thornton, and brother-in-law of Dean Matthews and Linda (Bill) Windhorst-Ford; dear uncle of Mark (Lisa) Wallis, Libbie (Mark) Reinking, Jesse Matthews, John Matthews, Sherry Billy, Lori (Larry) Merli, Dan Morganstern, and Elizabeth Hiscox.

Trevor was preceded in death by his infant son, Trevor Andrew Thornton; his siblings, Mary Dean Hiscox, Ida Thornton, and Janice Matthews; his niece, Jill Matthews; his wife’s parents, Myrtle and William Windhorst; and his wife’s siblings, Aileen (Darrel) Wallis and Bill Windhorst.

Trevor Thornton proudly served as an NCO in the US Army from 1958 to 1963.  After completing Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, he went on to Advanced Infantry Training and Armor School at Ft. Knox, KY.  SSG Thornton was assigned as a Tank Commander in the 6th Armored Division, leading the crew of an M48 Patton Tank.  SSG Thornton and his crew were called up for the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962.

Trevor came from humble beginnings.  His father was raised on the Cherokee Reservation in Oklahoma and spoke only Cherokee until the age of 21.  As a member of the Cherokee Tribe, Trevor was proud to have earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington University School of Engineering and Geology.  He worked for McDonnell Douglas for more than 30 years.  He worked in flight test safety and was a friend to many of our astronauts, working side by side with them on Project Gemini.  His contribution to space and science also includes his design of the Subsurface Probe on Mars.  He retired from McDonnell Douglas Corporate Headquarters as a financial analyst in 1991.

Trevor was passionate about sports of all kinds and was a coach for many years. He coached soccer, baseball, and was a football coach at Lutheran North High School for seventeen years.  He also founded, coached for, and was the director of the Rainbow Rockets Hockey Club for many years.  He worked as a scout for the St. Louis Blues Hockey organization.  In his younger years, Trevor was recruited by the Washington Senators Baseball team.  After high school, he was invited to participate in the Olympics for Table Tennis.

Memorial contributions in Trevor’s name may be made to Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Lutheran High School North, or a charity of the donor’s choice.

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