Mary Thornburgh

Mary R. Thornburgh,98, of Dayton, Ohio, peacefully passed away on October 5th, 2022 at The Sanctuary at Wilmington Place in Dayton, Ohio. She was born on November the 9th, 1923 in Parkersburg, West Virginia, to the late Daniel Avery Ruley and Olive Esta (Skidmore) Ruley.

Mary graduated from Parkersburg High School in June, 1941. That fall, she enrolled at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. She settled into the usual Freshman courses, as well as studying voice and piano. In early December her quiet world was rocked by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. She spoke movingly of watching all the young men on her tiny campus rushing off to join the armed services. She recalled the college President addressing the student body and begging the boys who were in Premed not to go.

Mary transferred to the college of Education at Ohio University, all the while keeping up with her voice and piano studies, as well as singing in the University choir and Glee Club. She began her teaching career in the fall of 1943 as a kindergarten teacher in the Urbana City Schools. She went on to teach in the Village of Batavia and finally, in Finneytown in Hamilton County, OH.
She married William Herbert Thornburgh of Cincinnati, OH on May 5, 1948. They moved to Troy, Ohio where he practiced law and they raised five children. She was an enthusiastic member of the Troy Music Club, the Country Workshop and the choir at Trinity Episcopal Church.

Mary went back to college in midlife, enrolling at the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture and Art. She graduated in June of 1979 with a B.S. in Design. She moved to California, becoming a designer for Bullocks Department Store in Century City, CA. From there she went to San Diego as the designer for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She was a member of ASID, the Council of Federal Interior Designers and the International Interior Design Association.

In addition to her parents, Mary is preceded in death by her brothers, Eugene E. Ruley, Louis B. Ruley, Joseph A. Ruley, and sisters Virginia R. Hixson and Eloise Ruley. Mary is survived by her brother, Daniel A. Ruley, Jr. (Diana) of Lewisburg, West Virginia. She is further survived by her children Timothy M. Thornburgh, of Port Orchard, Washington, Nancy C. Thornburgh (Rex Caswell) of Dayton, OH, Peter D. Thornburgh (Carmen) of Dayton OH, Thomas Thornburgh (Colleen) of Seabrook Island, SC and David Thornburgh of Los Angeles, CA.

Mary is survived by loving grandchildren Thomas Thornburgh (Erica) of Roseville, CA ; Terrence Thornburgh of Rohnert Park, CA; William Thornburgh of Port Orchard, Washington; David Thornburgh(Kathleen) of Port Orchard, CA.; Jonathan Caswell of Tallahassee, FL; Alexander Caswell(Katrina Scott) of Dayton, Oh; Annie Thornburgh of Martinsburg, WVA; Kelsey Thornburgh of Atlanta, GA, Bryn Thornburgh of Philadelphia, PA and Claudio J. Thornburgh of Cincinnati,Oh.

She will be missed.

The family would like to thank the staff at The Sanctuary at Wilmington Place for the very personal care they gave Mary. They made her feel as special as she was.