Harry T. Thetford, Sr., 86, went to be with his Lord and Savior on October 26, 2021. A graveside service will be held on October 30, 2021, 10 AM at the Dr. Clyde M. Gilmore Memorial Park, 6500 Liberty Road, Julian, NC. A Celebration of Life Service will be held Saturday October 30, 2 PM at Lawndale Baptist Church. Both are open to the public.
Born October 2, 1935 in Shreveport, LA, he grew up in Mississippi, graduating from Copiah-Lincoln Junior College and University of Southern Mississippi.
Besides Martha, his loving wife of 60 years, he leaves three children: Harry Thetford, Jr. (Liza), and their children, Andrew and Rachel; William Randolph (Randy) Thetford, (Margie), and his sons, Will (Dana), Daniel (Olivia), and David; Teresa Lynn (Teri) Thetford Sprouse (Scott), and their sons, Zachary and Zayden; and great-grandchildren, Alethia Grace Thetford and William Randolph Thetford III. He also leaves Haoyu Song, who he mentored as an international student and became good friends.
Thetford retired from Sears, Roebuck and Co. His Sears’ career began as an outside salesman in Natchez, MS in 1959 and he rose through the ranks to include numerous stores, a distribution center, and the Sears Tower in Chicago, culminating as the Store Manager of Sears-Friendly Center, 1976-1989.
Thetford was a member of Lawndale Baptist Church. Over many years and churches as a Baptist, he served as deacon, Sunday School teacher, and chaired numerous committees, including the Board of Deacons.
In 2002, the Thetfords were commissioned by Pleasant Garden Baptist Church as self-funded Mission Service Corps Missionaries for the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.
As a Missionary Relations Team and full-time RV‘ers, they visited and encouraged over 200 Missionaries in the five southeastern states. From 2005 until 2014, they served as State Coordinators for MSC Missionaries with North Carolina connections.
Thetford served in the Marine Corps 1955-1959. He was a life member and detachment historian of the Marine Corps League and founding historian of the Carolina Field of Honor. A longtime golfer with the Greensboro Super Seniors, he and Martha enjoyed RV'ing in every state, every Canadian province and most of Western Europe.
Thetford wrote many columns for the Pleasant Garden Post, Crossroads Journal and Greensboro News & Record. He took particular satisfaction in writing and speaking about military veterans and their families.
He served as President of Friendly Center Merchants Association, Greater Greensboro Merchants Association and Goodwill Industries.
A former member of Greensboro Rotary Club, he served on the Board of Directors of Greensboro Beautiful, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Better Business Bureau, and North Carolina Retail Merchants Association.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Carolina Field of Honor c/o The War Memorial Foundation, 600 N. Regional Road, Greensboro, NC 27409 (www.ncwmf.org).
For the safety of all, Celebration of Life guests are requested to wear a mask indoors.
