Luke Thornton

Luke Thornton passed away on June 7, 2010 at Poudre Valley Hospital. He was born in Fowler, Colorado on March 27, 1923 to George and Adaline Thornton. He grew up in Dolores, Colorado. Luke saw combat during WWII in Normandy, The Netherlands and several other battles in the European theater as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne. After the war, he completed a degree in business at the University of Denver. He lived in several places throughout Colorado and pursued a variety of interesting careers before moving to Fort Collins in 1963. Luke enjoyed traveling and spending time with friends and family. He was a devoted member of the Elks. Luke is preceded in death by his parents, his brother, George, and his wife, Marie. He is survived by a sister-in-law, Yvonne Thornton, and her two children, Leslie and George of Colorado Springs. He is also survived by his beloved friend and companion, Julie Ludlum, and her family: Susan and Wayne Gutowsky, Marty Gutowsky, Karlee and Steve Maitland and their children, Mitchell and Karson all of Fort Collins. Luke was kind and thoughtful. He was a gentleman in every sense of the word. He will be greatly missed. Cremation has been completed and a Memorial with Military Honors will be planned for a later date.