Draper, UT—James Markham Thorne passed away March 7, 2022 in Fayetteville, Georgia. He was born April 27, 1937 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Harold Arthur Thorne and Mary Lucile Markham Thorne. He was the fourth child and only son of five children. He grew up in Provo, graduating from Provo High School in 1954. He attended Brigham Young University for three years then served a mission from 1957 to 1959 in the West Central States Mission. On December 18, 1959, Jim married Janine McPhie Thorne in the Salt Lake City Temple. From 1960 to 1963, Jim attended the University of Pennsylvania graduating with major honors with a degree in Architecture.
Upon leaving school, the family settled in Sunnyvale, California. Jim worked for various architectural firms until 1977, when he opened his own firm in Sunnyvale and operated there until partial retirement in 2003. He was the architect of many semiconductor plants in Silicon Valley. One of his career highlights in 1975 and 1976 was as a consulting architect for the Al Hazen Research Institute in Baghdad, Iraq, and later to master-plan a small campus at that institute site. In 2003, Jim and Janine moved to Draper, Utah, living there until Janine’s passing in 2020. Jim then moved to Georgia to live with his daughter until his death.
Jim was an avid reader, a lover of classical music, and a world traveler. Anyone who knew him was blessed by his sense of humor and gift for storytelling. Jim’s children grew up with stories from his life and gained an early education on history and science as he related the things he read. His talent for storytelling extended to his writing, which included several published pieces and one full book. He also shared his appreciation for classical music with his children through his love of playing the piano. Though he and Janine traveled the world in their later years, his favorite place to be was in his home on Traverse Ridge in Draper where he enjoyed a majestic view of Utah Valley.
James is survived by his 5 children—Diane Richins (Russell), Michael James (Pamela), David Randall, Natalie Lovstedt (Michael), and Donald Joseph (Michele)—and his sisters—Janice Dixon, Joyce Michelsen, and Sally Taylor. He is also survived by 9 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, parents, and sister—Mary Lou Samuelsen.
Funeral will be in Draper, 14977 South Round Tree Lane on Saturday, March 19 at 11:00 a.m., viewing from 9:30 to 10:30 prior to the service. Burial at the Spanish Fork City Cemetery.
