If we hope to die well, let us live well. Rob was child number three in a line of four, having two older sisters and a younger brother. His parents sensed his love for the outdoors from an early age, and his mom recalls him proudly hauling a chipmunk around in his small plastic sand bucket when he was just a toddler. By the age of five, it became a necessity for his dad to check his pockets for fish hooks, bird wings, snakes, and mice in order to keep critters out of his mother's washing machine. Speaking of mice, Rob's oldest sister Susan recalls Rob stringing up and displaying captured mice in their garage when he was told he could no longer bring them into the house. Emily, who shared the middle-child label with Rob, echoed Susan's ornery-little-brother sentiment, yet she praised Rob for his continual love and forgiveness even when they disagreed on the ins and outs of life. Taking seriously the customary older brother role, Rob was sure to aggravate and frustrate his little brother as frequently as possible. As they grew older, Rob and John enjoyed their time spent together hunting, tracking, and processing deer. Despite the bratty-little-brother/ruthless-older-brother roles that fit Rob so well as a child, his sisters and brother were all quick to point to Rob's eventual maturity into manhood. After his transition, there weren't enough good words to be spoken. His sisters admired his genuineness, love, and character, and John expressed that he owes a good portion of the man he is today to Rob. They have all been forever changed by his faith and strength through his battle with cancer as well as his constant concern for others. What an honor they feel to call this man their brother! When Rob was just two years old, his parents built a house and a life on nine acres of ground that could be described as every young boy's dream: a stocked pond, acres and acres of woods, and an adventurous neighbor boy who was just the right age for a bit of amusement (or more likely mischief) from time to time. Both boys had little brothers to torment and older sisters to annoy. All four boys grew up hunting, fishing, and roaming the backwoods of their own little patch of country on the outskirts of Decatur. Those four little boys grew into God-honoring men of integrity with families of their own, who live and love as best friends and brothers should. Oh, the stories they tell. While most 12-year-old boys are off playing Little League and hanging out with their friends, Rob's young body was fighting off Ewing's Sarcoma. After seven weeks of radiation and two years of chemotherapy, he was finally in remission at age 14. With many prayers and the grace of God, Rob overcame childhood cancer and went on to live his remaining 30 years richer and better than most. Born for the outdoors, Rob's soul thrived in the woods. From a very young age, he was an avid hunter of all things that moved, and neither heat nor cold nor rain nor snow could keep him indoors. The land was his paradise. What set Rob apart from other hunters were his patience in the woods, his perfection of wildlife calls, and his genuine joy in the accomplishments of fellow hunters. In recent years, he took much pleasure in hunting with his own children who have undoubtedly inherited their love of the outdoors from their dad. Rob studied elementary education at IPFW and was hired by Fort Wayne Community Schools in February 1999. He began his career at Bloomingdale Elementary and finished at Holland Elementary. To say his students respected and adored him would be an understatement. His fellow staff members have echoed the sentiment. He was a mentor to many and a friend to all. October 1998 brought Rob's first glimpse of his future wife when he met Jen through friends at a church function. After a casual lunch outing in March of 1999, Rob and Jen began dating and were engaged by the middle of October. Jen was obviously "the one" because despite the fact that it was the middle of bow season, Rob was able to set hunting aside long enough to ask Jen to marry him. After eliminating any and all weekends that interfered with hunting season, they settled on a wedding date of March 31, 2000. Rob and Jen truly cherished and enjoyed each other daily. He continually spoke of her as if she was his newest girlfriend, and she blessed and served and treasured him until his final breath. After they married, they began the process of adopting their children. The Lord blessed them with Spencer in June of 2002. His interests include trains, airplanes, ships, football, and military history. Some of his favorite pastimes with Rob were playing football in the yard and building model boats and airplanes together. Two years later, in November of 2004, the Lord blessed them with Mikenna. She is a daddy's girl through and through, and always loved her time with Rob. Her fondest memories with her dad were hunting together to bag her first turkey and shoot her first deer. She also loved it when he would color with her and read books. This spring, after experiencing severe ongoing abdominal pain, Jen convinced Rob to pay a visit to their family doctor. Scans and tests revealed two tumors in his abdomen, and he underwent surgery to remove them in April. The report that they were cancerous was obviously devastating to family and friends alike. This particular type of sarcoma was a result of the radiation he had received as a child; it was both rare and aggressive. His tumors returned with a vengeance. The cancer was untreatable, and his body was forced to surrender. Rob was quick to express that this painful trial was a reminder of his blessings: his faithful wife and children, loving parents and siblings who were at his side and would do anything for him, a wonderful church, and a revolving door of friends. Genuine. Respectful. Loving. Strong. Kind. Selfless. Hard-working. Joyful. Dependable. Loyal. Personable. These words only begin to tell the story of the person of Rob Thorn. He was all these things and more. If there were a "Best of the Best" list of those with the most admirable qualities, Rob would be on it, and not because it is customary to speak well of the deceased. To know him was to love him and feel loved in return, and that's just the truth. Throughout his final months of trials and pain, Rob's attitude was an inspiration to all in contact with him- whether family, friends, or hospital staff. Because he didn't feel cheated, there was no one with whom to be angry. Because he was convinced of the value of others, he treated everyone with kindness and respect. He showed gratitude to God and others to the very end. He showed us all that how one handles adversity depends very little on the degree of pain or the nature of his circumstances. Rather, it depends on his whole life: who he is, his values and habits, the beliefs and convictions he holds, and the decisions that have formed his character over time. The joy, strength and composure, the continued selfless interest he took in others, the calm contentment, the thankfulness to God- these things didn't appear out of nowhere. Rob didn't luck into these qualities at just the right time. These were cultivated over a span of years through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, as Rob took seriously the daily goal of imitating his Savior, Jesus Christ. Rob will be fondly remembered for effortlessly losing his truck keys and wallet, shooting tasty little button bucks, wearing white athletic socks with loafers, and entertaining us with his very own version of Spanish (which wasn't really even Spanish at all). However, he'll be best remembered for his genuine faith in Christ, his depth of love, his kindness, and his relentless devotion to others. Let us learn from his example; if we hope to die well, let us live well. Robert A. Thorn (Rob), 42, passed away peacefully on June 29, 2015 at his home in Hoagland. Surviving are his wife, Jennifer (Ransom) Thorn of Hoagland, and two children Spencer (13) and Mikenna (10); parents, Robert and Ann (Arnold) Thorn of Decatur; siblings, Susan Dyer of Fort Wayne, Emily Nelson of Decatur, and John (Jill) Thorn of Whitefish, MT; father-in-law Curtis Ransom of Spencerville; mother-in-law Carolyn (Simes) Wenger of Fort Wayne; step-father-in-law Don (Ann) Wenger of Fort Wayne; siblings-in-law Lisa (Brian) Smith of Fort Wayne, Denise (Rich) Bienz of Hoagland, and Michael Ransom of Auburn; 4 nephews, 10 nieces, and 1 great-nephew. Services are 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 3, 2015 at The Bridge Community Church in Decatur. There will be no public visitation at the church on Friday. Visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 2, 2015 in the Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home in Decatur. Memorials are to Thorn Children Memorial Fund. For complete obituary information please visit www.zwickjahn.com.
