James Thornell

James "Jimmie" Thornell passed away peacefully with his wife by his side after a hard fought battle with cancer on October 22, 2020.

Born in East Boston on February 27, 1956, he was the son of the late Wallace and Eleanor (O'Brien) Thornell .

Jimmie grew up as an only child but considered many of his cousins as his siblings. He was involved in youth sports at a young age where he excelled in both baseball and hockey. One of his greatest memories was playing Little League with his team the Orioles.

Jimmie was a graduate of St. Dominic Savio Preparatory High School. After graduating, Jimmie started working for New England Telephone, now known as Verizon, where he remained until his retirement from the Company in 2007 in a career lasting over 30 years. Many of his colleagues often talked fondly of Jimmie, commenting on his patience and understandings while working through problems at the company.

Throughout his life Jimmie remained active in organized sports. On Thursday nights you could usually find Jimmie at the bowling alley where he was a member of the St. Lazarus/ St. John's Bowling League. Most recently, Jimmie became a member of Eastie Halfball where he was able to reconnect with friends from his old stomping ground.

Music also played an important part in Jimmie's life. He was an avid Beatle's fan and could beat anyone is Beatle's trivia. He also enjoyed playing music on his guitar, and going to as many concerts as possible. The Rolling Stones being one of his all time favorite.
Jimmie also enjoyed playing cards on Super Bowl Sunday with his friends and usually came home with most of their money.

Jimmie is survived by his loving wife Susan (Devereaux) Thornell with whom he shared 42 years with and 37 years of marriage. Jimmie was the most amazing father to his daughter Jayme. He went to every single dance recital and completion, never missing one throughout her 30 years at the Deborah Mason Performing Art Center. Jimmie had a great relationship with his son in law Stephen. Together they would talk sports and he would give Stephen great advice on life in general specifically how to get along with his mother in law. He was the Proud Grandfather of Olivia, Jonathan, and Stevie. His granddaughter Olivia was the apple of his eye and could do no wrong. As a baby, Olivia couldn't say grandpa so she referred to him as Bup, and it stuck. His first grandson, Jonathan shared his love of music and sports with him. He was so happy to learn that his grandson Stevie joined little league and spent time giving him tips on the sport. Jimmie is also survived by his trusted dog Buddy.

His funeral mass will be celebrated in St. Joseph Church, 173 Albion St, Wakefield, on Wed, Oct 28 at 10:00am. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield, MA on Tuesday, Oct 27 from 4-8pm.

Jimmie donated every year to the Progeria Research Foundation in honor of his friend's son Andrew Cummings. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Progeria Research Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 3453 Peabody, MA 01961

October 27, 2020
4:00 PM to 8:00 PM

McDonald Funeral Home
19 Yale Ave
Wakefield, MA 01880
(781) 245-3550

October 28, 2020
10:00 AM

St. Joseph Church
173 Albion St.
Wakefield, MA 01880