Reverend Elihu David Thorne
September 17, 1938 to April 20, 2025
Obituary
Reverend Elihu David Thorne (September 17, 1938), beloved husband, father, and brother, passed away peacefully just after midnight on April 20, 2025, Easter Sunday morning. He is reunited now with his many friends and family members, including his daughter, Beulah. Leaving behind his wife, Valerie; daughter, Judy; and sons, Robert (Wendy) and Stephen, as well as his sister, Ruth. He also leaves grandchildren, Jason, Andy, Matthew, Meagan, Kaitlynn, Jordan, and great-grandchildren, Arielle, Fox William, Isla, and Dawson. He will also be missed a lot by his grand fur babies, Nysa, Holly, and Jack, who loved Poppy very much.
The family would like to thank Cambridge Estates and Pleasant View Towers for their support and assistance over the past months. It was much loved and appreciated.
Dad loved his family deeply. Though his commitment to God’s work was demanding, he would make every effort to be there for them. Many summer vacations were spent camping and exploring. He would take the children to a sports game despite not being a sports fan himself. He would often help with the many home renovations and car repairs needed for each of his children. For every family event, he would be there with his trusty video camera, recording history to add to his prized collection of slides, 8mm video, photos, DVDs, and memory sticks. He would travel across the country on a moment’s notice, without a dime in his pocket, knowing his God would provide, to be by his family’s side when they needed love and support.
David spent most of his life serving God as an evangelical and outreach pastor for the Pentecostal church. His life was doing everything humanly possible to spread the love of God. David loved outreach ministry and was often asked to do God’s work in remote locations, where many would not venture to go. Pioneering many churches in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, he feared no challenge, knowing God walked beside him and guided him with every step.
Began with Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland & Labrador in 1962
- Ordained – 1977 – Baie Verte
- Silverdale & George’s Brook 1962-1963
- Snook’s Arm 1963-1964
- Woody Island 1964-1966
- Bay L’Argent 1966-1967
- Burin 1967-1969
- Cartwright 1969-1971
- Arnold’s Cove 1971-1976
- Burgeo 1976-1978
- Carbonear 1978-1979
- Pacquet 1979-1981
- Channel-Port Aux Basques 1981-1986
- Point of Bay 1986-1987
- Bradford, Ontario 1987-1989
- Longlac, Ontario 1989-1990
- Hampden 1991-1993
- Mount Stewart, PEI 2010-2016
Visiting Chaplain:
- Riverbend Seniors Complex, Edmonton, Alberta – 1997-2000
- Pleasant View Towers 2017
Our husband/father/grandfather was a man of great love and sacrifice and will truly be missed. He was, and will continue to be, loved.
Visitation will be held at Carnell’s Funeral Home, 329 Freshwater Road, on Wednesday April 23rd from 2 -4 PM and 6 -8 PM.
Visitation will continue on Friday, April 25, 2025 from 10-12 at Emmanuel Pentecostal Church, Deer Lake where also the funeral will be held at 2 pm. Interment will follow at the Pentecostal Section of the Deer Lake Interdenominational Cemetery.
Schedule
Visitations
2-4 p.m. on April 23, 2025
6-8 p.m. on April 23, 2025
Carnell’s Funeral Home
329 Freshwater Road
View on Map
funeral
2:00pm, Friday April 25th
Emmanuel Pentecostal Church, Deer Lake
Interment will follow at the Pentecostal Section of the Deer Lake Interdenominational Cemetery.
Valerie & Family,
Be assured of our thoughts and prayers through your season of grief. Thankful today that our grief is not without hope. May the peace of God cover you all today and every day as we await resurrection morning and a glad reunion.
Pastor Jason & Cynthia Martin
Our hearts go out to you as you say farewell to your loved one! He has surely “ fought a good fight and finished his course” well. Therefore the Bible declares there is a crown of rightnesses, awaiting him in glory. What a blessed Hope we have of a glad reunion day that’s coming! May the comfort and strength that comes alone from God bear you all up in His presence in these difficult days! ❤️❤️🙏🙏
Valerie and family. We send our condolences, prayers and thoughts on the passing of your loved one. May the Lord be ever so close and comfort you each one.
To Valerie and family,
Thinking of you and praying for you today. May God surround you with his peace and comfort.
Saddened to hear of PastorThorne’s passing. We rejoice in the fact he is now with his Lord and Saviour. May God bring peace and comfort as you mourn his passing. In our thoughts and prayers.
Claude & Geralda Kippenhuck
Woodstock, ON
Sorry to hear of your loss sending our deepest condolences.may you expeeience God’comfort and peace in the days ahead.
So sorry to hear of David’s passing. Another warrior of the cross has gone home. Our deepest condolences to you all. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Cherish your memories and look forward to “That Glad Reunion Day”.
Sorry to hear about David’s passing, hold on to all the great memories. Time will not take the feeling of loss but knowing that he is gone to be with the Lord whom he served is such a feeling of hope and peace
To Valerie, Judy, Robert, Stephen and families,
My deepest condolences on your loss. This man – your husband, father, grandfather – had a lasting impact on my life. To this day I engage life lessons he instilled in me. Wayne and I often talk about the wonderful man that we had the privilege of calling our pastor.. He was a stabilizing influence during my teen years. He gave me my start in church ministries and invested in my leadership shaping from my early teen years.
Pastor Thorne, you were an awesome mentor and protector, who told me like it was. I am so thankful that God ordained for you to pastor my home assembly o Port aux Basques back then. I believe that your guidance contributed to my 47 years of church ministry leadership (30 of those in full time ministry). You even played a role in my meeting the love of my life. I owe you a debt of gratitude. Thank you.
You are in my thoughts and prayers as you lay your loved ones to rest.
Valerie & family! Be assured you are in my prayers as you lay your beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather to rest, with hope in your hearts of that Glad Reunion Day. Praying your hearts will rest in this truth,; Pastor David is now in the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; whom he served so faithfully with love and devotion. With faith in God’s promises, we await that Glad Reunion Day when Jesus will come to take all His children Home. God’s Word tells us, “That day is closer than when we first believed”. Even so, come Lord Jesus!
With you in prayer and fellowship! Lily Batstone
It saddens my heart that Pastor Thorne is no longer with us. We have to hope of meeting him again in heaven. Pastor Thorne was a mentor and my doorway to Christ. I got saved under his ministry. He was a true Christian in every sense of the word. He introduced me to Christ when he pastored in Burgeo. He took me under his wing and kept me grounded in Christ. I got baptized under his ministry.
Brothers in Christ
Words cannot express how saddened I am to learn of your loss. Pastor Thorne was my favorite as a child years ago in Port Aux Basques. Many good memories. Please accept my sincere condolences 🙏
Valerie, children and especially Ruth
I am so sorry to hear of David’s passing, my earliest memories of him are him engaged in sound and recording systems, whether at church camps or conferences and open air meetings. He was always full of energy and commitment to ministry. Thank you David for your faithfulness.
May the promise of the blessed hope to be reunited burn in your hearts until Jesus comes..
Fred and Gloria Stacey
Kingston, Ontario
To Mrs. Thorne and family: Our hearts we’re saddened to hear of the passing of Pastor Thorne. His years of ministry here at Pacquet was very special to our family especially the crusader times with the children. We have many great memories, we send our deepest condolences and praying the peace of God will cover you 🙏we look forward to that Resurrection morning. In the sweet by and by..
Roy and Janet Sacrey
Pacquet
Condolences to his family