John Michael "Mike" Thornbury

John Michael “Mike” Thornbury, 86, of Cottonwood, AZ, passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on September 10, 2026. He was born in Buffalo, NY to Katherine A. (Walsh) and Richard H. Thornbury. After his mother died when he was very young, he was raised by his father and stepmother, Henrietta, in North Collins, NY, along with his older step-siblings Jim Mitchell and Barbara Baker. He graduated from the Nichols School in Buffalo and then attended and graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1962. He had a special place in his heart for Notre Dame and returned to visit campus many times over the years.

While at Notre Dame he met Kathleen Harlett, a nursing student, on a blind date. They married in 1963 and were happily married for 63 years. They had three children: Tracy (Chanat Sangkagalo) Thornbury of Warwick, RI, Julie (Michael Ledbetter, deceased) Thornbury of Seattle, WA and Patrick (Jennifer) Thornbury of Wakefield, RI. Mike worked for the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) for over 25 years. He was transferred regularly for work, and the family was fortunate to live in several different places over the years including NY, MA, PA and RI.

Mike and Kathy retired to Arizona in 2004 and enjoyed travelling to England and Ireland, as well as frequent family and friend gatherings in Banff, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, and Seattle.

Mike was a loyal and true friend and enjoyed many decades-long friendships that were invaluable to him.

Mike had a fondness for old cars and could tell you the make, model and year of almost any car made prior to 1970. One of his formative experiences was driving cross country at age 16 in a Cadillac convertible with a good friend from Nichols.

Mike was a devout Catholic and a member of St. John Vianney Parish in Sedona, AZ. He also served as a Stevens Minister at Christ the King parish in RI, providing companionship and comfort to the sick and elderly.

Mike was a friend of Bill W.

Mike was a kind and compassionate person and a devoted husband, father and grandfather. In addition to his wife, children and their spouses, he leaves three grandchildren: Nahrin Sangkagalo, Natalie Sangkagalo and Grace Ledbetter.

A celebration of Mike’s life will be held at a later date. Gifts in memory of Mike may be made to Verde Valley Alano Club www.vvalanoclub.org.