Ralph W. Thorne

Ralph W. Thorne of Groveland, Florida, passed away on June 20, 2026, after an extended illness. He was born at Clendenin District (Henderson) in Mason County West Virginia on January 24, 1947, to Roscoe Clarence Thorne and Dorothy Frances Jeffers Thorne. Ralph was a Viet Nam veteran having served in the US Army. He received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, in June 1969. He was an industrial electrician by trade who moved to Marietta with Remington Rand in the 1960s/early 1970s. He stayed with the company that was eventually known as Kardex.

After retirement from Kardex, he started Thorne & Thorne Home & Commercial Inspections as a home inspector and worked mostly in Washington, Morgan and Wood Counties, and he later added a service as a trainer for worker safety programs. He continued in this capacity until his move to Florida in 2019. He was a member of the American Legion WV Post 0159; The Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction; and the Marietta Shrine Club.

He is survived by his wife, Rena Smith-Thorne of Groveland Florida, his daughter Carmen (Mark) Kurtz of Dayton, Ohio, his brother Rex Thorne of Point Pleasant, WV, and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Eulah Pearson Mays, his brother, Kenneth Thorne, and his nephews, Keith Pearson and Edward Pearson.

He will be cremated and services will be held at a later date with his remains taken to Concord, WV. Donations can be made to the American Heart Association in his memory.