"Lo" "Grandma" "Aunt B"... A caring and devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend, Billie Lorraine Ryan Thornton passed away in her sleep just before midnight on Friday, December 26, 2014. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Bill Thornton; and son Chuck Thornton. Born in 1932 to Loraine Miller Ryan and Willie "Bill" Earl Ryan in Grandview, Texas, she was the eldest of three siblings: Charles B. and Carole Sue. Known as "Lorraine" to her school friends (there were too many girls named "Billie" in her class), she was a high school cheerleader and beauty, graduating in 1950 from Adamson High School in Dallas. Shortly after, she met who would be her lifelong love and everyone's favorite hell-raiser, Bill "SOB" Thornton, through dear friends JoAnne and Billy Earl Smith. In 1952, the two were married at home in Dallas. She wore a white dress suit sewn by her mother, tailored to fit her 18" waist! She was a tiny but mighty force throughout her life.
A faithful supporter of her husband through his service in the army, Lorraine worked using shorthand while he was overseas. After his return in 1953, they began a family in 1956 with the birth of their son, "Chuck" and in 1958 added a daughter, Tammy, to make their family complete.
Lorraine was a fabulous cook and mother, and lifelong best friend to her daughter Tammy. Host of too many slumber parties to count, active in the PTA, and supporter of her children's activities, Lorraine continued her role as family cheerleader.
In her later years, she and Bill belonged to Prestonwood Baptist Church and were members of the Agape Sunday School class. Her granddaughter Cheryl also kept her busy, as she repeated her role of "mom", providing every opportunity and all the love any little girl could want. Lorraine was a favorite among Cheryl's childhood friends, many calling her "Grandma", and showing them she cared by keeping everyone in line (and of course - cooking). When Lorraine wasn't entertaining, cooking or caring for others, she could be found with her Northwood Women's Club group lunching or playing bridge.
Small-but-mighty, Lorraine was always a fighter, and faced some hard battles and tragedies throughout her life. She was known for beating the odds in her medical issues - but she had to. Lorraine wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of, so nothing would get her down. In her late seventies, dementia began to set in. Her husband, daughter and daughter-in-law Kathleen cared for her during those years, but the disease continued to worsen. In 2012, her loyal husband of 60 years passed away. Lorraine spent the last two years of her life with a wonderful group of caregivers at Atria Memory Care in Richardson. Full of spunk, she kept them busy and entertained as one of their most-loved residents.
She will be laid to rest next to her husband at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery during a graveside service on Wednesday, December 31, 2014 at 9:15 AM. A visitation will be held at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow in Allen on Tuesday, December 30, 2014 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.