Cletis Jean (King) Thorne Obituary (1929 - 2021)

Cletis Jean (King) Thorne, 91, of Newberg, Oregon, passed away on July 13, 2021, at her residence. A private family graveside service will be held at a later date. Myron Harmon and Leona (Smith) King proudly announced the birth of Cletis Jean on November 19, 1929, in Newberg, Oregon. Cletis grew up in Newberg, attending and graduating from Newberg High School in 1948. She married Robert C. Thorne on May 21, 1949; they were married for 55 years before Robert's passing on November 9, 2004. Together, Cletis and Robert had four children: Cecil, Lee, Mark, and Ted. She was a homemaker and kept busy keeping her four boys in line. Cletis was a talented quilter, and she was a member of the quilters club at the Newberg First United Methodist Church. She made many quilts and gifted them to her family through the years. She also enjoyed painting wooden lawn ornaments that her husband Robert would make in his woodshop; together, they would sell them from a little wooden cart they placed next to the road on their front lawn. Cletis liked to cook for her family, and she made the most prized grape juice (Kickapu Juice) out of the grapes she grew on her property; no other grape juice can compare. Cletis and Robert would bring large brown paper bags full of filberts from their filbert orchard and jars of Cletis' grape juice as gifts to family and friends, and these gifts were highly cherished. In her free time, Cletis volunteered as a 4-H leader and was a Home Extension Member. Cletis was a sassy, stubborn lady who was never afraid to say what was on her mind. She also loved her family immensely, and she will be missed greatly. She is survived by her four sons, Cecil Thorne of Hermiston, Oregon; Lee Thorne of Newberg, Oregon; Mark Thorne of Newberg, Oregon; and Ted Thorne of Newberg, Oregon; Sister Dorris Walker of Potlatch, Idaho; Brother Harmon King of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Eight grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren also survive her. Cletis is preceded in death by her parents Myron and Leona King, husband Robert C. Thorne, and her brother Donald R. King. Memorial contributions in honor of Cletis may be made to the Newberg First United Methodist Church at 1205 Deborah Rd., Newberg, OR 97132.