Mr. Matthew Ralph Thome

April 7, 1927 - August 14, 2014 Matthew R. (Matt) Thome passed away peacefully at home on August 14, 2014. He was born in Seattle, Washington to Matthew Jacob and Inez Britt Thome on April 7, 1927. He was preceded in death by Mary, his wife of 57 years, and his son, Mark. Survivors include his children Matthew R Thome Jr. and wife, Gwen; Michele McKeldin and husband, Chuck; Marilynn Woodward and husband, Bill; Michael Thome and wife, Selina; and Martha Ann Gannon and husband, Dennis; 16 Grandchildren; and 13 Great Grandchildren. He was an alumni of the Mu Chapter of the Alpha Sigma Phi and of the University of Washington, and a 32nd degree Mason and member of shrine Cahaba Temple. He was also a member of the Red Elephant Club and the Sons of the Spanish American War Veterans. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on his seventeenth birthday during WW II and earned three battle stars before his 18th birthday. While attending the University of Washington, he continued serving in the Marine Reserves and in 1949 accepted a Presidential appointment as an Army Second Lieutenant in the Infantry. He is credited as having been the first U.S. Army officer wounded in the Korean conflict. After recovering from his wounds, he returned to Korea where he earned a total of five battle stars. He served in the military a total of 31 years in the Pacific Theater, Japan, Korea, Austria, Italy, and Iceland. His major decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal, Purple Heart, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal. The President of Iceland awarded him the Icelandic Knights Cross Order of the Falcon for his management and logistics support to the Government of Iceland in the successful recovery operations following a volcanic eruption on the island of Heimaey in Iceland in 1973. After retiring from the military he became the Deputy Director of the Madison County License Department and later joined United Technology/USBI, the prime contractor for the Solid Rocket Boosters used in the Shuttle program. As a Senior Logistics Engineer he participated in the DDT&E phase of the program in Huntsville and then transferred to Kennedy Space Center as a Logistics Manager. This was one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences in his life time. He spent 50 years in the Boy Scouts of America program working with the scouting program in Italy, Sicily, Lybia.Turkey, Greece, Scotland, and the United States. He was awarded the Silver Beaver in 1966. He was an ardent fan of the University of Alabama football team. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon on August 18, 2018, followed by a memorial service, at Valhalla Memory Gardens, 698 Winchester Road NE. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Hospice Family Care, 3304 West Mill Drive, Huntsville, AL 35805