Elizabeth LaVerne Thorneycroft, 94, entered Heaven’s gates on Thursday, February 2, 2017 in West Seattle. Born January 2, 1923, in Ketchikan, Alaska, she was the daughter of the late Alden and Betty Harvie. LaVerne married the love of her life, Norman Henry Thorneycroft, in February 1941. They resided in West Seattle where she and Norman welcomed their daughter Marilyn Anne.
LaVerne’s life can be summarized in four words: Faith, Family, Friendship and Philanthropy. LaVerne had a kind spirit and sharp wit. She was a faithful servant who shared her love for Christ through her actions. As a longtime member of Fairmount Church and Admiral Congregational Church in West Seattle, she delighted in women’s fellowship, made friends everywhere she went and had a huge heart for those less fortunate. Knitting hats for the homeless was part of her 30-year stewardship with the Seattle Milk Fund, all while making sure every member of her family had a warm hat of their own. When she wasn’t knitting, setting up church luncheons or playing pinochle, she enjoyed traveling the globe and spent some of her most memorable years at Hood Canal with her family.
As a wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, LaVerne was the matriarch of her family. Whether it was dinner shared around her kitchen table, or baking her classic banana cream pie and cookies, she loved cooking for her family. Fittingly so, as the rock of her family, LaVerne will lay to rest next to her husband at the Rock of Ages area at Washington Memorial Cemetery.
LaVerne is survived by her daughter Marilyn Anne Shoemaker, grandson Christopher Norman Shoemaker, granddaughter Keri Anne Patashnick (Lyle) and great-grandchildren, Seth Henry Patashnick and Emery Anne Patashnick. We will remember her smile, her warmth, her tenacity, her love of the Lord, family and friends. She made a difference in the lives of many. A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2017 11:30 a.m. at Admiral Congregational United Church in West Seattle. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Seattle Milk Fund at http://seattlemilkfund.org or the Senior Center of West Seattle at (206) 932-4044 or online at http://sc-ws.org.
Published in the West Seattle Herald section of the Westside Weekly, February 17, 2017.
