NEWNAN, Ga. – Lt. Col. Mary Inez “Mit” Thornton-Vogel, U.S. Army, Retired, passed away Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019 at her new home in Newnan, Ga. Mary Inez was born June 28, 1954, at Valley Forge Army Hospital in Pennsylvania to the late Col. Joseph Ambrus Thornton Sr. and Virginia Garrison Thornton. As a child Mit traveled with her family to Ft. Bragg, N.C., Springfield, Va., Seoul, Korea, and Cookeville, Tenn., where Col. Thornton taught military science at Tennessee Tech. As a young child she had a radiant smile and bushy blond hair and was adored by her parents and older siblings. The family settled in Atlanta, Ga., in 1965. Mit graduated from Ridgeview High School in Atlanta. One of her favorite pastimes was caring for the horses belonging to the SCLC. After graduating from the Medical College of Georgia in 1976 she entered the army as an occupational therapist. She cared for a wide spectrum of patients and developed a passion for helping children. Her favorite assignments were in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Landstuhl, Germany. She also served at Ft. Benning in Georgia and Walter Reed AMC in Washington, D.C. Before attaining the rank of major she earned her master’s degree from RPI in Troy, N.Y. While living in Albany, N.Y., she met her husband to be, Donald Vogel. They were next door neighbors and became lifetime companions. Mit and Don were married in Kaneohe, Hawaii in 1986. They had a passion for the natural beauty of Maine so when Mit retired from Ft. Knox, Ky., in 1996 they moved to Portland. Mit was the senior occupational therapist at the Spurwink School for 17 years. She worked with children and mentored two generations of young therapists that affectionately call her “mom”. With her charming wit and infectious smile she made many, many close friends. She nurtured many long distance relationships with her cheerful notes and cards about the people and things that she loved. Her ideal day would be to sip tea in a beautiful garden filled with songbirds and butterflies. Later she would write a stack of post cards to tell everyone about how wonderful it was. Mit was unique and is cherished by all who knew her. She is survived by her husband of 33 years (2 Ridgebriar Lane, Newnan, Ga.); brother, Richard T. Thornton Sr. (wife, Linda) of Cookeville, Tenn.; Patricia Thornton (wife of brother Joseph Jr.) of Fortson, Ga.; and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brother, Col. Joseph Thornton Jr., U.S. Army, and sister, Margaret Virginia Melton. A memorial gathering will be held at Patricia Thornton’s in Fortson, Ga., on Oct. 26 and 27, 2019. McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory (770) 253-4580. Condolences can be expressed online at www.mckoon.com

Memorial contributions may be made to the Oncology Nursing Foundation.

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.