LINCOLN and SEMINOLE, Fla. – Sylvia L. Thornton passed away peacefully Sunday, Jan. 14, 2007. Sylvia was born Sept. 6, 1936, in Lake Placid, N.Y. She attended schools in Keene and Keene Valley, N.Y. Sylvia met and married Ronald Thornton, her husband of nearly 50 years, while attending nursing school in Meriden, Conn., where they were wed April 16, 1957. She worked in the family business office for 20 years, retiring in 1996. Sylvia had a passion for reading and loved watching golf, baseball and basketball. She longed to winter at their long bayou condominium in Seminole, Fla., and to spend March in Aruba. Sylvia enjoyed relaxing with a great game of Mah-Jong. She was a long-standing member of the American Contract Bridge Association, a past Worthy Matron of the Eastern Star and a member of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary. She was predeceased by her father, George T. Vassar; her mother, Laura A. Vassar; and her two brothers, Richard and Thomas. She is survived by her husband, Ronald D. Thornton; her son, Hawley T. Thornton and his wife, Ann and their two daughters, Rebecca and Lindsay; her daughter, Laurie A. Ramsay and her partner, Kirk Ramsay and their two daughters, Jade and Nia Ramsay; and one great-granddaughter, Elia Ramsay-Fox. There will be a graveside memorial service 1 p.m. May 19, in Lincoln.