Mary Elizabeth May Thornhill

Mary May Elizabeth Thornhill,passed on peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, November 4th, 2014 in Redlands, California at Anchetas Residential Care. Mary was born on March 20, 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to Sonny and Alma Holiday. She was the third of four children; her brothers Virgil (Richard) Pogue, Russell Pogue and her younger sister, Doris Ann (Holiday) Poindexter. The family moved to the Bronx, New York and later moved to Harlem. She attended Evander Childs High School in the Bronx, New York, and upon graduation she attended nursing school to become a practical nurse. Mary loved nursing and practiced for over twenty years. Years later, she also went back to school at Wilfred Academy in Queens, New York and became a licensed cosmetologist. In 1966, she married Randolph Randy Osborne Thornhill and moved to their first home in Queens, New York. Randy had two older sons, Melvin Randolph Thornhill and Philip Osborne Thornhill (d. March 2002) . May and Randy had two children Selena Mary Thornhill and Corey Edward Thornhill. Mary enjoyed socializing, traveling and camping with family and friends. Many summers were spent at different campgrounds along the coast, enjoying fishing, swimming and the outdoors. Mary also had the opportunity to travel with dear friends and loved ones, to Guyana, Aruba, Hawaii and the Bahamas. In the early 80 s, Mary suffered from an aneurysm, when at that time, many did not survive, but she did. Through years of love and family support, she was able to pull through this illness. Although, over the years, she developed additional illnesses as a result of this aneurysm, she never stopped living life her way. Mary will be dearly missed by her Daughter, Selena Thornhill; Son, Corey Thornhill (Tasha), Son, Melvin Thornhill; Grandsons, Marquis Thornhill, Aalahjah Thornhill and Jalen Moody, Granddaughters, Sierra Moody and Aaliyah Thornhill, nieces, nephews and a host of extended family and friends. Mary was preceded in death by three of her siblings; Doris Poindexter (d. 11/11/92); Russell Pogue (d. 1/18/2002) and Virgil Richard Pogue (d. 5/30/2011) Visitation will be held on Tuesday, November 18, 2014, from 9:30am to 11:30am and a Service to celebrate her life will follow at 11:30am at Emmerson Bartlett Memorial Chapel, 703 Brookside Ave., Redlands, CA with burial to follow at Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside, CA, where she will be laid to rest alongside her husband, Randolph O. Thornhill. A Repass will follow at Corey & Tasha's home in Rialto, CA.