Thornton, Gail Maxine

Gail Maxine Thornton, born Aug. 22, 1924, in Northwood, Iowa, to Norris M. Nelson and Alma Storby Nelson, died at her home in Iowa City on Nov. 14, 2009.

Second of six children, Maxine was raised on a dairy farm just outside of Lake Mills until her father died in 1936 when she was 12. Maxine fondly remembered tagging along with her father on the milk wagon, pulled by a horse that knew every stop on the route. After Norris's death, Alma moved the family to town where Maxine and her siblings were educated in the Lake Mills school system and the older children worked to help support the family through the Depression. As the eldest daughter, Max shouldered household responsibilities with her mother and they became great pals, sharing a few secrets from the rest of the family, like where the chocolate peanuts were hidden in the kitchen. They used the code phrase “going to dry some dishes” to let each other know when they going to dip into the peanuts. Undaunted by the hard economic times, in 1942, Maxine, nicknamed “Nels,” graduated from high school, where she was active in band (clarinet), chorus, student government, class plays, the volleyball team, and the student newsletter. The newsletter's senior profile described Maxine as the “happy little blonde” in their class.

Following graduation, Max moved to Davenport, where for three years she worked in a loan office and weekends found her at the Uptown Theatre serving as cashier. She also volunteered at the local USO, playing ping-pong and cards with naval officers-in-training and Merchant Marines, and attending monthly dances for the servicemen. Following her marriage in June 1945, to Robert E. Olive, Maxine's two daughters were born, Lynn in Minneapolis in 1947 and Jan in northern Minnesota in 1951. Maxine and Bob later divorced. In 1953, Maxine moved her daughters to Independence, Iowa, where she met “the love of her life,” Robert Joseph Thornton, and in 1958, she moved her family again to Iowa City.

Maxine was employed at the Women's Gym on the University of Iowa campus in 1958 and the next year she worked at the Buxton Insurance Agency. Her self-described “happiest years” began in 1960 with her employment as the office manager at a small but growing medical office-what is now Towncrest Internal Medicine-for doctors Schrock, Anderson and Beasley. Two years later, in 1962, Maxine and Joe Thornton were married and they worked as a team to set up both their new home and his law office in 1963. Soul mates, over the next two decades they shared as much time with each other that they could manage, even brown-bagging lunch in Joe's office most days. Their close connection is preserved in numerous photographs of the couple, where they were always holding hands. As Maxine managed the accounts and staff of a rapidly growing medical office, Joe established his practice and was appointed a judicial magistrate in the mid-1970s. They shared a blended family of seven children who gave them 12 grandchildren during these happy years. Tragically, their marriage was cut short in 1983 when Joe died in a car accident. Maxine continued working at the medical office until 1993 when she finally retired after 33 years.

Retirement was just a concept, however, and Maxine continued bookkeeping-for her favorite doctors, her daughter Jan, and the Johnson County Medical Society. Maxine also kept the books for Beta Sigma Phi, a business sorority she joined in the 1940s. Though she had announced her first marriage in a meeting of the Psi chapter in Davenport in 1945, her activity with the group waned over the years. With Joe's death, Maxine reestablished her ties with the sorority and treasured the close friends it gave her. Friends also accompanied Maxine on many trips around the world as her adventuresome spirit blossomed. She visited the Great Wall of China, explored Norway (the country of her family's origins), toured England and Europe, safaried in Africa, and cruised to many foreign ports. At home, she adopted rescued dogs and a cat, quilted for family and fundraisers, and grew lilies in ever-growing flower gardens that threatened to take over her yard. And, in 2005, after taking care of Alma for years, Maxine finally said goodbye to her 102-year-old mother and lifetime pal. 

Maxine is survived by her brothers, Dale and Loren Nelson; her sister, Beatrice Young; her daughters, Lynn Sidwell (Pete) and Jan Olive Full (Jerry), of Iowa City; her stepchildren, Tim Thornton (Bev), Pat Thornton (Mary), of Cedar Rapids, Marty Mitchell of Saguache, Colo., Peg Erdman (Tom) of Independence and Marilyn Thornton of Waterloo; as well as 12 grandchildren, Sara and Kathryn Sidwell, Eric Thomae, Ed and Derek Thornton, Cindy Slafka and Brian Thornton, Megan Heine, Jill Steigleman and Lana Leuenberger, and Jennifer Colton and Kathleen Lang; and nine great-grandchildren, including little Ava Thomae who is due to arrive in December 2009. Finally, though Sammy-the-Fat-Cat and Susie-the-Dog have found new homes, they miss her still.  

Memorial services will be at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23, at First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City, where the family will greet friends after 12:30 p.m., and a reception will follow the service.

Memorials may be directed to Iowa City Hospice, 1025 Wade St., Iowa City, IA 52240, or Friends of the Animal Center Foundation (Iowa City animal shelter), Box 1345, Iowa City, IA 52244.

Arrangements are with Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service. Online condolences and memories may be directed to