John (Jack) Fred Thorne III, age 78, of Ocean View, DE formerly of Birdsboro, PA passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 8th in the comfort of his own home.

Jack was born in Reading, PA on Mother's Day, May 12, 1946, son of the late John F. Thorne Jr. and the late Mary (Bortzel) Thorne. He was a graduate of Reading Central Catholic High School Class of 1964 and earned a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Scranton in 1968. He later pursued his Masters in Chemistry at Villanova University.

Upon graduating from the University of Scranton, he served in the US Army from 1968 - 1970 and then pursued a career in chemistry. Jack worked at several environmental engineering firms prior to  employment at Brenntag, North America, Inc. in Reading, PA where a]er twenty-five years he retired as  the Director of Quality Assurance.

Jack pursued multiple interests to the fullest throughout the course of his life including photography, model planes and skiing. Jack spent weekends sailing catamarans with his daughter and go-kart racing with his son. He was a car enthusiast and enjoyed restoring classic cars. Upon retiring, many days were spent at the Delaware Seashore State Park with a good book while surf fishing.

With a deep passion for go-kart racing, Jack used his chemistry background to create a unique oil formula specifically designed for go-karts. Due to demand, he established the Thor Oil Company distributing products across the United States. This was Jack's proudest accomplishment.

He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years Mary Louise (Seward) Thorne; two children Alexander Thorne of Millville, DE and Jacqueline Iacovella and her husband Al of Doylestown, PA; and two grandchildren Robert and Nicolas Iacovella. He is also survived by his sister Kathleen Hochman of Chevy Chase, MD and her two children Shannon and Sean.

Services will be held on Sunday, January 19th, 2025 at Melson's Funeral Home, 38040 Muddy Neck Rd., Ocean View, DE 19970. Visitation will start at noon and the prayer service will begin at 1PM.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in the memory of Jack Thorne to one of the following charities:

Beebe Medical Foundation , designating donations towards cardiac care or heart failure programs.

The Delaware Seashore Preservation Foundation .

The Heart Failure Society of America via funding the Heart Failure Research Foundation .