On Monday, April 17, 2017, Robert Lee Thornton (74) departed this life peacefully, he was surrounded by his loving family. Robert was a loving father, husband and grandfather, who will be deeply missed by all. Robert is survived by his loving Wife Linda. They were married In October of 1989 and where life partners, never leaving each other’s side. Robert’s work ethic was unwavering, he loved to work with his hands; wood work was his passion, and it showed by the clocks, trains and ships he built by hand. Also, Robert loved old westerns, the show Gunsmoke was one of his favorites, and he enjoyed it so much, that he collected memorabilia. He loved to share it with his friends and family at every opportunity. Robert was an excellent cook, in fact, he shared this love of cooking with all of his children teaching each one how to cook; family gatherings often time revolved around great food, good music, laughter and love. Robert was born on May 21, 1942 in Portsmouth, Virginia. He was part of a large family and they moved to Brooklyn, New York; he was educated in the New York City school system; he later served in the United States Army as a Paratrooper in the 101st. After his military career, he went on to work for the New York City Transit Authority as a train conductor; he retired after 22 years of service. After his retirement, he immersed himself into his passion for carpentry ; he often times said “God has blessed me with the same gift (carpentry) that he had given his only son”. He was a master woodworker and could see something one time and construct it adding his own uniqueness to each piece. On October, 1989, Robert married Linda; he was the father of seven children, Tony, Cheryl, Robert Jr.; Qadir, Rashid, Wayde, and Yusef and countless foster children. There was always a special place in his heart for the children that were entrusted to his care and this was evident in the many foster children that he welcomed into his home over the years. He was a loving husband and a devoted father; never one to bridle his tongue when he felt the situation required a dose of reality; he had a way of combining common sense, wisdom and humor all in the same message. Robert leaves behind a loving and devoted wife, Linda; his five children Cheryl., Robert Jr., Rashid, Wayde and Yusef; daughter-in-law Elaine; son-in-law Willie Lee Martin Jr.; 5 grandchildren (Chris, Anthony, Ivory, Chania,Yasir); 2 Brothers, Perry Thornton and Steven Thornton; 2 sisters Annie Mae, Mary (Nancy) Parkinson, sister-in-laws (Ollie, Freda, Maxine,and Faridah), as well as in-laws from the beloved Lamont family; numerous nieces and nephews and close friends.
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