Matthew Walter Thornton, 61, of Holland, a beloved son, uncle, and brother, passed away too soon on March 16 after a brief illness.
Matt was born on February 26, 1964, at Wood County Hospital to Carl and Martha (Speck) Thornton. He graduated from Perrysburg High School in 1982 and was a member of the 1979 and 1980 undefeated football teams, with the 1980 team being inducted into the Perrysburg Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020. He graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1986 with a BS in Journalism and, after several different editing and writing positions, spent 18 years with Michael Realty/CBRE/Reichle Klein Group as a Marketing Specialist.
Matt retired in 2021 and listed his current occupation on a social media site as “Exploring the World.” He was a devoted son to Martha and Carl Thornton, both deceased, caring brother to Jenny Jones (John), brother to Jeff (deceased), an awesome uncle to Zach and Jason Jones, and caring cousin to Mike Early, Tammy Weiland, Cheryl Riffner, and Bob Speck.
Matt helped his mom, Martha, deal with losing her husband, Carl, in 2017 by taking her on many special trips to England, France, Canada, and many stops out west. After his mom passed in 2022, Matt continued to travel with his best friend, Greg Stobart and his wife, Jennie, most recently to Scotland and Ireland, as well as to their home in Scottsdale and some special concerts at Red Rocks in Colorado.
The family would like to thank the staffs from the ER and ICU at ProMedica Flower Hospital, as well as the staff at Ebeid Hospice Center, for treating Matt with compassion during this difficult time.
Visitation will be on Saturday, March 22, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM at Witzler-Shank-Walker Funeral Home in Perrysburg, located at 222 E. South Boundary Street. Funeral services will be at 11:30 AM with burial to follow at Fort Meigs Cemetery in Perrysburg.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Ebeid Hospice Center or the American Cancer Society. Condolences can be shared at www.walkerfuneralhomes.com.
