Obituary of James L. Thayer

Thayer, James L. Colonel U.S. Army Retired, 87 of Sun City Center, passed away on Friday, November 25, 2011 at Sun City Center Hospice House. Born in Belfast, Maine, on January 23, 1924, Jim never quite lost his Maine accent despite living in a variety of places such as Kansas, Germany, Connecticut, New York, Korea, Georgia, and Virginia. Jim was a highly decorated 30 year US Army career officer and a veteran of World War II and Vietnam. Following his retirement in 1974, he established a cookie and bakery business resulting in seven mall stores in the Tidewater, Virginia area. In 1990 he and his wife Eleonor moved to Sun City Center. He was a three time past President of the Bridge Club and achieved his Silver Life Master rank in 2004. He was a director in the Sun City Center Guardianship Foundation and a member of the Irish Connection Club and the Prince of Peace Catholic Church. Jim is preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Eleonor Thayer, and granddaughter Jennifer Ann Long. Survivors include his son John Adam (Nathalie) Thayer, MD's, daughter Ann Marie (John) Burris and son James Michael (Anna) Thayer, nine grandchildren Luke Burris, James Thayer, Julia Thayer, Wyatt Thayer, Grace Thayer, Virginia Thayer, Olivia Bonneville, Meg (Timothy) Boucher and Jason Burris. Jim is also survived by half sister Marion Rohde, sister-in-law Amalia Olga Podkrivacky, and great-grandson Bradley Boucher. A Mass of the Resurrection will be said on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 11:00 AM at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Sun City Center, and a visitation will be held on Wednesday from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM at the Sun City Center Funeral Home, Sun City Center. Inurnment will be at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia with Military Honors.