May 19, 1916- October 6, 2012
“Turk or Fred” as he was known by friends, was born on May 19, 1916, in Schenectady, NY, to Thomas W. and Alice Ostrom Therkildsen. He married Sarah D. Gwinn in July 1946, in Louisville, KY, who preceded him in death in 1965. He later married Barbara C. Barrows in Glen Ridge, N.J.
Mr. Therkildsen attended Rectory School, Pomfret, CT, Kent School, Kent, CT and Princeton University in the Class of 1937. In 1939 he enlisted in the 101st Cavalry, NYNG (Squadron A) and was inducted into Federal Service in January 1941. Following Officers Candidate School at the University of Florida, he was commissioned in the Air Corps earning the rank of Captain, prior to his discharge in 1946.
For several years he served as secretary to William F. Buckley Sr., before joining the Olin Matheson Corp. in New York City. Following an early retirement from Olin in 1972, Turk joined the Illinois Dept. of Local Government Affairs, as a Data Processing Analyst until he retired from the IL Dept. of Revenue in 1986.
His memberships included the St. Nicholas Society and Squadron A Association, both of New York City, the Springfield Elks Lodge #158, Senior Golf Association, and the Episcopal Church.
Turk was predeceased by wife Barbara, stepson William C. Barrows Jr., and son-in-law Charles Deatsch. He is survived by their remaining children and spouses Thomas and Margaret Therkildsen of Webster, NY; Lawrence and Sharon Therkildsen, Ontario, NY; Elizabeth Therkildsen Deatsch of Centerville, IA; Mary Steinsiek, widow of stepson William, and her husband Jim of Tulsa, OK; Arthur and Mary Barrows of Farmington Hills, MI, and David and Jode Barrows of Springfield, IL, 12 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild.
Cremation rites were accorded and an internment service will be held at Camp Butler National Cemetery at 2 PM on November 30th, 2012, through Bisch Funeral Home in Springfield, IL. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any memorials be made to the; UIF/UIS Therkildsen Field Station, sent in the care of the Office of Development, University of Illinois Springfield, One University Plaza, Springfield, IL 62703. The University of Illinois Springfield’s Alfred O. and Barbara Cordwell Therkildsen Field Station (http:www.uis.edu/emiquon/about/index.html) at Emiquon, was established by UIS on Nature Conservancy land, to assist in the study of the biological eco-system along the Illinois River, in one of the largest wetlands restoration projects in the Midwest.
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