It is with great sadness that I report the death of Edith Thorne Nowels.
Edith was tireless, passionate and loving advocate who dedicated herself completely to causes she believed in. Edith T. Nowels was a patriot who loved America, and loved the men and women who fought for our freedom in our military.
Edith was a member of the Monmouth County Republican Committee for 41 years. For many of those years she was the Municipal Chairwoman of Brielle.
Edith spent much of her last years making sure that the Veterans of World War II were honored as those who survived the war aged and met their natural deaths.
She was forever promoting the memory of her brother, Cpl. Horace “Bud” Thorne, who sacrificed his life in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.
Below the fold, please view the videos of Edith parachuting last November with The All Veterans Group and the video tribute to her brother Bud’s life and sacrifice.
Ross Licitra, Executive Director of Monmouth County SPCA and a candidate for freeholder, Freeholder Lillian Burry, Congressman Chris Smith and Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon celebrate the ground breaking of the Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Village in Tinton Falls, a Soldier On project.
Local leaders and supporters of the Veterans community gathered in Tinton Falls on Saturday for the ceremonial ground breaking of a Gordan H. Mansfield Veterans Community. The $23 million, four story community with 70 one bedroom apartments is a project of Soldier On and WinnDevelopment to be built on a 12.6 acre site on Essex Road that was donated by Seabrook Village.
Freeholder Lillian Burry celebrating Veteran’s Day last month at the Monmouth County Library Eastern Branch in Shrewsbury
Monmouth County Freeholder Lillian G. Burry has not decided whether or not she will seek a 6th term on the County’s governing body.
First elected in the wake of U.S. Attorney Chris Christie’s Operation Bid Rig II in 2005, Burry has been a leader in the transformation of Monmouth County government and the Monmouth GOP from a corrupt swamp to a beacon of good government. In 2005 , the Asbury Park Press had an ongoing investigative series, Club Monmouth, into the wasteful patronage of Monmouth County government. This year, the APP editorial board said, “It isn’t easy finding major weaknesses in the way the county has been run in recent years. Spending has been kept in check and the county has maintained a triple-A bond rating. It takes shared services between towns seriously and it has made concerted efforts to improve the climate for small businesses. The county also has one of the finest park systems in the state.” Lillian Burry has been a huge contributor to the reforms which warranted those accolades from a critical source.
Between 50 and 100 Monmouth County homeless military veterans will have homes, security and futures to look forward to thanks to the tenacity of Freeholder Lillian Burry, Congressman Chris Smith and Soldier On, a non-profit organization committed to ending veteran homelessness.
Since 1994, Soldier On has been providing homeless veterans with transitional housing and supportive services. In 2010, Soldier On opened the first Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Community, a permanent housing cooperative that provides formerly homeless veterans with safe, sustainable, affordable housing – transitioning them from homelessness to home ownership. This housing model will be replicated nationally as Soldier On continues to change the end of the story for homeless veterans throughout the country.
….from your holiday weekend, be sure to check out the video biography of Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Cpl Bud Thorne.
The video, An American Hero, was first produced for the 50th anniversary of the Thorne Middle School in Middletown. It was shown again last Thursday as part of the Battle of the Bulge Survivors Reunion and Monument Rededication which took place at the school.
For me, and I hope the many others who have never experienced war first hand nor lost a loved one to battle, viewing the video deepened my gratitude for all veterans as well as for the men and women who are currently serving in the military.
Thank you to Edith Nowels, Thorne’s sister, for providing the video for MMM readers.
Nowels is a hero too.
She has done a tremendous job reuniting WWII vets and making sure we have an opportunity to express our gratitude before they pass. But Edith never stops to take a breath, even after such a successful event like the reunion on Thursday. When I reached her over the weekend while I was writing the story on the reunion, Edith was on the road delivering Thank You cards to veterans in nursing homes and at VFW posts.
This Memorial Day has a special meaning to me, and the hundreds of participants at the Battle of the Bulge Survivor Reunion and Monmument Rededication Ceremony that took place last Thursday at the Thorne Middle School in the Port Monmouth section of Middletown.
The event, which included a general assembly of the student body at Thorne and over 86 veterans of the Battle of the Bulge was organized by Edith Nowles of Brielle. Nowles is the sister of Cpl. Horace Marvin “Bud” Thorne, namesake of the school, who was post-humanously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism in the battle that cost him his life.
There was so much to be impressed with and moved by at this event. From the pride and happiness of the veterans present to the attentiveness and enthusiasm of the students, staff and faculty. From the courage of the eigth grade nominee for the Corporal Thorne Award who got out of her wheel chair and walked with assistance to accept her citation from Freehold John Curley and to join her fellow nominees on stage to the ovation her fellow students gave her when she did so.
Hopefully this slideshow will give a sense of how special the event was:
One of the most moving elements of the Reunion and Rededication was that all present got to “meet” Cpl. Bud Thorne. A video biography of Thorne, his life, heroic death and legacy,narrated by his sister Anita, that was originally produced for the 50th anniversary of the Thorne Middle School was shown to the assembly.
By virtue of the generousity of Edith Nowels, MMM is able to share the video with you. I encourage you to take the 12 and 1/2 minutes it takes to view it. It will make Memorial Day personal. It will give you an even greater sense of who the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom were and are:
It is with great sadness that I report the death of Edith Thorne Nowels.
