Grace Irene Thornton was born to George and Florence (Doberiener) Hirchert in rural Clay County, Ulen, MN, on October 18, 1920. She attended country school and later graduated from Twin Valley High School with the class of 1938. On February 2, 1942, she united in marriage to Harold Thornton near Twin Valley. They had lived in Gary, IN, where Harold had worked at the steel plant. They then moved back to the Twin Valley area the summer of 1942 to make their home. In 1949, together they began a gravel business where they sold gravel to area townships and surrounding areas. In the 1950's, Grace and Harold moved to the farm south of Twin Valley where they had made their home and raised their family. They retired from farming in 1981 and stopped selling gravel in the early 1990's.

Grace was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Twin Valley. She was a Sunday school superintendent for several years and was also involved in the ladies' aid. She loved being outdoors and especially raising a large garden every year. Grace loved to mow her large farmyard and maintain the Syre Cemetery for many years. She enjoyed reading, dancing, sewing, upholstery work, baking, cooking, canning, crafts, puzzles, and playing cards. There was never a project she wouldn't try. She has run electrical wire, fixed plumbing, trapped gophers, fixed pasture fences, the list goes on and on.

Family was very important to Grace. She loved family gatherings and family reunions. Grace also loved to help make and update the family tree for the Hirchert and the Thornton Family. Of all the jobs she could do, she would have considered her role as a mother and grandmother of upmost importance. She was a very loving, caring, fair, and gentle woman. She was always very careful to never put one ahead of the other, everyone mattered, everyone was loved, and it didn't matter if you were related or not, if you were in her presence you were accepted, cared for, and loved. If a stranger came through the door; they left as a friend. She would always say "Come anytime, the door is always open, and the coffee pot is always on." Grace will always be remembered by her wonderful sense of humor and endless idioms.

Grace passed on Monday, September 23, 2019, at the age of 98, at Viking Manor Nursing Home in Ulen.

Grace is survived by 4 sons: Duane (Myrna), Mike (Diane Pederson), Fred (LoAnn), and Dale (Terri), all of Twin Valley; two daughters, Edna (Cliff) Kazeck, and Carol (Gary) Rosenau, both of Ada; 20 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren, and 13 great-great grandchildren. Grace was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Harold; a son, Floyd, an infant daughter; a granddaughter, Tanya; her parents, all of her siblings, and several in laws. In Grace's words she was "the last man standing".

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 28, 2019 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Twin Valley. Visitation will be held Friday, September 27, 2019, at Anderson Family Funeral Home, Twin Valley, from 5-7 p.m. with a prayer service at 6:30 p.m. Interment will be in Syre Cemetery, Twin Valley.

Arrangements entrusted to Anderson Family Funeral Home

Of Twin Valley. Online website: www.andersonfamilyfh.com