Obituary of Helen Isabelle Thorner

Peacefully, at St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital, on Friday, July 9, 2021, Helen Isabelle Thorner (née Laing) passed away at the age of 91.  Loving mother of Alan (Judy) Thorner and William (Kathy) Thorner.  Cherished grandmother of Brett (Riley), Kurt (Danielle), Dean (Jenna), Jaclyn (Joel), Chloe (Alex), Camille, Leslie and Patrick.  Great-grandmother of Alivia, Paisley, Nash, Finley and the late Ellie (2018).  Dear sister of Robert (Patricia) Laing.  Survived by sister-in-law Ruth Thorner and brother-in-law Lorne Thorner (Nancy).  Survived also by several nieces and nephews.  Predeceased by her sisters Margaret Reecke (late Robert), Evelyn Glendinning (late John), and brother William (Liz) Laing.  Also predeceased by sister-in-law, Patricia Laing. 

Helen received her nursing degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1952.  She was passionate and found fulfillment in caring for others, retiring as a nurse with V.O.N. after many years of service in 1994.   Helen was a supportive cheerleader, attending her grandchildren’s hockey games.  As a pastime, Helen enjoyed playing bridge, completing daily crossword puzzles and testing her knowledge, tuning regularly to Jeopardy.

The family would like to thank the staff at Royal Oak Retirement Centre for the exceptional care Helen received while in transition waiting for a nursing home.

Cremation has taken place.  A service will be held at a later date at Elmdale Memorial Park Cemetery, St. Thomas.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital Foundation would be appreciated by the family.  Arrangements entrusted to Simplicity Cremation.  Condolences online at simplicity-cremation.ca

**For those who wish to make a contribution to the St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital Foundation in memeory of Helen, please click HERE to be directed to the donation site where you can select "Donate Now" in the top right corner of the webpage.  Then, select "In Memory" from the dropdown menu.