Clarence E. Thornton passed away on February 6, 2023. He was 101 years old. Born on July 8, 1921, he lived in Hampton for most of his life, where he and his wife Shirley, who predeceased him, raised their children, where he painted many of the town’s houses, and where he frequently portrayed Abraham Lincoln, because of a strong resemblance, in our Memorial Day Parades. A longer-lasting presence in our Memorial Day commemorations was his annual recognition, for eighty years, as a veteran. Clarence was our last surviving soldier of World War II.

Enlisting in the United States Army on December 10, 1942, at the age of 21, Clarence was inducted into the Armed Forces at Fort Devens and received basic training in Arkansas before crossing the Atlantic on the troop carrier that delivered him to the European Theater. His tour of duty afforded him a “panoramic view” of the war, and its dangers, in England, France, Belgium and Germany.

Though England was the most benign of stations, Clarence’s troop was the target of sniper fire, which they fortunately all escaped, while camping on the beach there. In France, Clarence drove ten-ton trucks to dispatch supplies to troops on the front lines. Serving with the 2617^th Quartermasters Truck Company, he hauled ammunition hidden in apple orchards to the front lines and transported bombs from the depot to the staging areas. Always close to enemy lines, his truck was pelleted with bullets once, yet the real danger was driving on narrow roads at night with no headlights. In Antwerp, Belgium, Clarence distributed supplies brought in from the North Sea. His military career ended in Germany, where he was part of a convoy transporting ammunition, and where he was stationed when the end of the war was announced with the simple words, “pack up your stuff, you’re going home”.

Relics of Clarence’s service — his dog tags, theater ribbons, a submarine gun medal, a 3^rd army patch and a 14^th army division patch, a sharp shooter medal which he claimed was earned from one “lucky shot” — these were kept in his Hampton home, where four generations of Thorntons lived toward the end of Clarence’s life. Our condolences to his family, his sons Keith and Robert Thornton, and his daughters Patricia Goodwin, Sandra Storey, Sharron Dickson and Sharlene Thornton, his grandchildren and great grandchildren.