Thomas Stanley Thorne

Thomas Stanley Thorne, son of Elizabeth Wallace Thorne & James Orland Thorne and born on November 3, 1940, in Selma, North Carolina, departed on his last Earthly “Side Trip in Life” on April 11, 2026, following sustained complications from a boating accident.

He was pre-deceased by his Father & Mother, Lanis Edward Thorne (Brother), Frances Thorne Moore (Sister) and James Richard Thorne (Brother).

He is survived by his last living sibling, Phyllis Thorne Woodard (Sister); his sister-in-law, Barbara Russell Thorne; his two Daughters, Wynn Thorne Bettinsoli (Husband, Gino Anthony Bettinsoli); and Amy Thorne Pitt (Husband, Joseph Whitehead Pitt, Jr.); along with his “Five Grands” – Celia Grace Bettinsoli; Tess Isabella Bettinsoli; Dean Gabriel Bettinsoli; Griffin Elizabeth Pitt; and Josephine Ruby Pitt. “GranStan Bob” (AKA GSB), so named by his firstborn grandchild, Celia, was an avid Boater, and he passed along his love of the water to his Children and Grandchildren, several of whom are passionate Sailors, Motor Boaters, Rowers, Kayakers, Paddleboarders, Water Skiers, Captains and all-around Mariners.

Boating excursions around Wrightsville Beach, Masonboro Island, Emerald Isle, Swansboro, Beaufort, Southport, Bald Head Island, Cape Lookout and beyond form many of the collective family’s fondest memories with GranStan Bob. Long, time-suspended days on the water, collecting sand dollars at low tide on Emerald Isle sandbars and waterskiing up and down the Intracoastal Waterway brought endless joy, as did fishing for Flounder in the sound or for Spanish Mackerel in the ocean. Stan was a member of a travel boating club; attended boat shows from Annapolis down to the Florida Keys; and knew nearly every Dockmaster in New Hanover County by name. A resident of Wilmington, NC, Stan began boating at Wrightsville Beach nearly 50 years ago in 1982, before completion of Interstate Highway I-40, when Middle-of-the-Island and Archie’s served the best breakfast around. Lunch by boat at The Spouter Inn in Beaufort (for banana crepes!) or dinner at Bayview in Sneads Ferry and Captain Charlie’s in Swansboro were frequent, as were Trolly Stop hot dogs and soft shelled crab sandwiches at Dockside. Long, late nights at T&W Oyster Bar in Cape Carteret and Tony’s Sanitary in Morehead City were also on the regular rotation for many years in the 1970s & 1980s.

Stan had a lifelong love of music and singing, with Southern Gospel among his favorite of musical genres. Growing up, he sang in a quartet at Selma High School, and passed along that love of music to others, taking both Daughters on annual July pilgrimages to Staunton, Virginia for the Statler Brother’s annual outdoor Independence Day concerts. Austin City Limits emerged as his favorite musical show, along with episodes of Hee Haw, Sonny & Cher and any of the Gaither’s or Willie Nelson’s television specials. Songs by Ray Stevens were one of GSB’s hallmark eccentricities, and he also especially loved Ronnie Milsap, Joey + Rory, Doc Watson, and Bradley Walker, among so many other musical artists.

Another passion that GranStan Bob had was for airplanes, motorcycles and automobiles, owning several dozen different cars throughout his life, from a prized MG, to a VW Punch Buggy driven out on the beach, multiple Jeeps, a Peugeot sedan in the 1980s, along with various other more predictable muscle cars and luxury sedans. He loved taking long road trips, even adventuring (dragging) his family around the entire United States and into northern Mexico by car for an entire Summer in the 1970s, following a drive to and from California in an RV in 1968, with his one-year-old baby girl. Many other car trips to and from Cape Cod, Canada, the Florida Keys, Gatlinburg and beyond brought GSB endless entertainment, and he always had a next trip itinerary planned and ready to go.

Stan was also avid about carpentry, woodworking and construction. He built three custom homes in Emerald Isle and Clayton; crafted furniture for himself and his children; built decks and picnic tables for multiple family members from the North Carolina mountains to the coast; and had a bit of an eye for modern architectural design.

Thomas Stanley graduated from Selma High School in 1959, and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in English from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1967) and his Master’s Degree in Management from North Carolina State University (1970). He served as a Military Police (MP) in Germany between 1960 and 1963, which ignited his love for travel to Northern and Eastern Europe, which he returned to many times. For a majority of his career and for over 30 years, he was a Banker with NCNB, Nations Bank, Topsail State Bank and BB&T in a variety of Retail (City Executive) and Corporate & Commercial (Credit Officer & Workouts / Special Assets) roles.

Finally, GranStan Bob was a storyteller extraordinaire! He could turn any five-minute tale into an hour-long epic! For that reason, as well as for his love of backstory, context and facts, he earned the name “Wikipedia Bob,” and passed this (exhausting) trait down to both of his Daughters. (Sincere apologies to our family and friends; not our fault.) Stan was a talented talker and maintained his extraordinary communications skills up until his final season on Earth.

So, in honor of Thomas Stanley Thorne, get out on the water in any boat that will float, take a “Side Trip” drive with the windows down on a winding country road, regale a loved one with a long (long!) story, or sing a Gospel tune at the top of your lungs to cherish the memory of our Wikipedia-GranStan-Bob! “May the circle be unbroken; by and by Lord, by and by.”

Memorial gifts may be made for Fishing Projects (please designate Project # 013755) to Samaritan’s Purse at P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607, or to another charity of your choice.