Jonnie Vern Thornton

Jonnie Vern Thornton

Robins

Jonnie Vern Thornton, 53, of Robins, Iowa, formerly of Monona and Giard, Iowa, died Monday, April 1, 2024, at St. Luke’s Hospital, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Visitation will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, April 5, 2024, at Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cedar Rapids, Iowa with a Memorial Service to immediately follow at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. The family will have a private burial.

Jonnie was born on February 7, 1971, to Ronald “Butch” and Connie (Havlicek) Thornton in Postville, Iowa. After attending high school, Jonnie went to work for Prairie Agri in Postville, Iowa. From there he went on to operate his own trucking business for ten years, hauling kosher meat to New York City. After selling his trucking company, Jonnie went to work for CJ Moyna & Sons which specializes in earth moving and road construction. Jonnie and Stacie were classmates throughout high school at MFL, graduating in 1989. Good fortune reunited them. He enjoyed classic car shows, woodworking, outdoor grilling, and “shooting the breeze” with friends.

Surviving Jonnie are his fiancée, Stacie Kesselring of Robins, Iowa and her three children, Bianca, Piper, and Nash Kesselring; his son, Austin Thornton; brothers, Lonnie (Paula) Thornton of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Timothy Thornton of Omaha, Nebraska, and Toby Thornton of Monona, Iowa; and nieces and nephews, Aliyah, Garett, Kelby, Jake and Cole Thornton.

Jonnie was preceded in death by his parents, Ronald “Butch” Thornton and Connie (Havlicek) Thornton.

Memorials may be directed to Truckers Final Mile at truckersfinalmile.org or 3301 R Coors Blvd. NW #293, Albuquerque, NM 87120.

“The quality of a man’s life is measured by how deeply he has touched the lives of others.”

Please share a memory of Jonnie at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.