Paul C. Thornbury 100 Passed away on December 1, 2005

Paul was an Operations Inspector and worked in the Los Angeles FSDO.

Paul turned 100 years old on 28 August 2005 and on that same day, he did
an aileron roll in a Learjet flying low level around the Santa Barbara
Islands enroute to an airshow hosted by the 99s at Camarillo airport and
also piloted a DC-3 painted in United Airlines colors.  In early
September, about 85 QBs hosted Paul and his family at the Proud Bird
Restaurant in an evening to celebrate Paul's 100 years of aviation pioneering.

About a week prior to the LAX QB annual Washout, Paul complained to his
family of being short of breath.  They took him immediately to the
hospital ( he refused to be let off at the door, but chose to walk in
from the parking lot) and it was determined that he had pneumonia.  They
stabilized him with medications and sent him home with oxygen.
According to his family, he was doing much better after the medication
and oxygen and wanted to go to bed.  He was sleeping comfortably about
2AM, 1 December when he apparently had a heart attack, which proved
fatal.  His death was a real shock to the family, because he was
responding so well after the hospital visit.

Paul and his wife decided years ago that neither wanted a
funeral/memorial service and both contracted with the Neptune Society to
be cremated and have their ashes scattered at sea.  At the LAX QB
Washout this December (which Paul was planning to attend with me), we
all toasted all QBs Gone West, especially to Paul Thornbury who passed
away on 1 December 2005.  That was our short, heart-felt memorial
service to Paul.  I'm sure he was pleased that we didn't make "a big to
do" over his passing - over the years that I knew him, he was always
very careful never to paint his accomplishments with a very big brush.
In fact, the stories he told, were shared not to inflate his standing,
but to share aviation with the youngest of us as it was in the very
beginning.  Paul's passing leaves us all a bit diminished by not having
the monthly opportunities to listen to his stories.

If you actually had the chance to work with Paul for over 22 years, you
were very fortunate!  We would enjoy hearing stories that you might be
able to recollect from those days with Paul at the FAA.  If you are in
the SoCal area, the Santa Monica QBs meet on the second Monday of the
month at the Sheraton Delfina on Pico Blvd in Santa Monica for dinner
and libations.  If you would consider joining us some evening to relate
some of your recollections of working with Paul, we would like to invite
you to be our guest for dinner.

I'm sending a couple of recent pictures of Paul - one at a SMO QB dinner
meeting earlier this year and another of him piloting the DC3 on his
100th birthday!

I'm sorry I didn't know about you before John Marshall sent me your
email, or I would have included you in Paul's 100th Birthday dinner.

Please contact me at any time.

Warm regards,

Buzz Elliott
Keyman
SMO QBs
Home:  (310) 377-1055
Cell:  (310) 809-2437
buzz.elliott@cox.net <mailto:buzz.elliott@cox.net>