James F. Thorne
James F. Thorne, of Media, passed away on December 31. He was 69.
Jim was born in Watertown, New York. Growing up, he and his four siblings spent as much time as they could outdoors. For Jim, that meant helping at his grandparents’ farm, exploring the nearby woods, and building a treehouse with his best friend. Eventually, Jim’s love of the outdoors brought him to Yale University, where he earned a doctorate in forestry in 1984.
Shortly thereafter, Jim moved to the Philadelphia area with his wife, Rosemary, to accept a position with the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Landscape Architecture. The recurring highlight of Jim’s eight years at Penn was an annual two-week immersive forestry course in Mexico, where he and a fellow forester from Yale introduced their students to the country’s eight ecosystems.
Jim then continued his professional career at the Nature Conservancy, where he discovered a passion for using so-called “prescribed fires” to promote the growth of native plants and trees. After that, he spent 10 years with the Natural Lands Trust, where his proudest achievement was playing a critical role in the formation of the Hopewell Big Woods Partnership, which protects Hopewell Big Woods, a 73,000-acre conservation area encompassing the largest contiguous forest in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Jim found tremendous joy in his family, including his children, Megan, Matt, and Dylan, and his five grandchildren. He imparted a deep appreciation of the outdoors and was the most loving and kind father. Jim is remembered for his exuberant smile, hearty laugh, happy-go-lucky attitude, and deep love of nature.
A lifelong athlete, Jim played soccer in high school and college, ran marathons, and later transitioned to long distance cycling. Biking continued to bring Jim joy well after his diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 54. Jim had a zest for life and lived his days to the fullest with his family in Wallingford and, more recently, in Media.
Jim’s memory will be cherished and kept alive by his wife and longtime caregiver, Rosemary Fitzgerald; children, Megan Bowers (Nicholas), Matt Thorne (Annie), and Dylan Thorne (Jena); and grandchildren, Harrison, Emma, and Miles Bowers, Mackenzie Thorne, and Jameson Thorne. He also leaves behind his loving siblings, Sandy Martindale, Amy Hamilton, and David Thorne. Jim was preceded in death by his father, Frederick Thorne, mother, Marion Thomas, and brother, Russell Thorne.
Gifts in memory of Jim can be directed to the Penn Memory Center.
