Obituary of Darl L. Thornton

Darl L Thornton was born December 16, 1937, in Nampa, Idaho to Lavar Ira Thornton and Alzina Kloepfer and passed away August 18, 2023 after a short battle with Leukemia.  The third of eight children (2 sisters and 5 brothers) he grew up on a farm West of Kuna milking cows and working in the fields.

Darl attended Happy Valley School for his elementary years and graduated from Kuna High School in 1955 while participating in drama, yearbook, Honor Society, K-Club, FFA, baseball, basketball and football (against his parents’ wishes).

Darl was a schoolteacher and football coach for many years after graduating from Idaho State in 1962.  While there he started at QB and safety, leading his team to a national ranking.  In the middle of college, he married his high school sweetheart, Lois Whitmer.  Three children and a move to Oregon soon followed.

In his late 30’s he found new loves, marrying Lorna Yoder (and her two daughters), starting an antique business, gardening and landscaping.  They traveled the US buying antiques.

Lorna’s passing led to a spiritual awakening and he returned to the Gospel.  Soon he met Linda Richards who he tricked into marrying him and finished his conversion.  They served in the temple for many years and traveled the globe seeing over 80 countries.

Darl always loved spending time with his children, grandchildren, siblings and others, crabbing, snowmobiling, rafting, traveling, cruising, gardening, fishing and hot tubbing.  Through all of this the most important thing to him was the interaction with the people he met along the way.

He is survived by his wife Linda and children; Doneal Thornton, Shannon Kessel, Gard (Stephanie) Thornton, Heidi (Geoff) Lay, Holly Yoder (Jim), Angela (Sid) Sullivan, Julie (Brian) Snapp, Verona (Dave) Johnson, 21 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, September 9^th at 11am at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3105 S. Kimball Ave., Caldwell, ID 83605.