Kathleen Diane Rosa, age 67, of Thornton, Colorado passed away on Monday, April 24, 2023. I hope he got a hell of a high out of that [cocaine].. He told her horror stories about U.S. military operations in Vietnam, she says. They Lived their 57 year marriage until his passing in 2016. Pictured above is Pablo Eskobear, or Cocaine Bear", on display at Kentucky Fun Mall. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site status, or find. She taught music and kindergarten for many years at Highlands Day School and will be remembered by many as "Miss Annette". May you be free and happy as you watch over your friends and family. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Andrew C. Thornton II, whose life was once filled with privilege and promise, decided that now was the time to parachute from a twin-engine plane in the dead of night to smuggle the $15 . There was a problem getting your location. Thornton was sentenced to six months in prison, fined $500, placed on probation for five years, and had his law license suspended. "He would have loved the concept of the warriors who fall from the sky.". Drew and I spent a lot of time playing video games with each other. Mark Thornton Obituary - Death Notice and Service Information - Legacy.com Perhaps more than anyone, Thornton would have appreciated the absurdity of his death. His death, however, makes for an interesting story on its own. September 11th: The Life & Death of Andrew C. Thornton II | by Sara Reynolds | Medium 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. Youre all in my thoughts and may strength and solace be constant companions. Drug smuggling was a natural transition for him. I know youre all beautiful people. The Cocaine Bear Drug Smuggler Was a Real Person. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Make sure that the file is a photo. There is a problem with your email/password. A visitation for Carmen will be held Thursday, May 4, 2023 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Olinger Patricia Aka Reynoso Mejia, Petra Reynoso, age 79, of Thornton, Colorado passed away on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.olingerhighland.com for the Valdez Sr. family. "Either side," he said, "they were working for America.". There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. He returned to school for a year in 1966 but dropped out and trained racehorses for his father. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Year should not be greater than current year. Andrew Carter Thornton II(October 30, 1944 - September 11, 1985) was an American narcotics officer and lawyer who became the head member of "The Company", a drug smugglingring in Kentucky. Parrish & Underwood Funeral Homes and Cremations. Verify and try again. A memorial service for Susie will be held Wednesday, May 24, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. All of my condolences go out to his family. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. According to friends, he died a millionaire. The bear, for example, simply died of an overdose in real life and did not go on a bloody, murderous rampage as in the film. ). Saint-Martin-d'Hres, Isre, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France - City, Town Smithfield William Bill Edmon Thornton, age 86, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in Wake Medical Center in Raleigh. Some time later, in Georgia, a black bear started chowing down on more than 70 pounds container of cocaine that had also fallen from Thorntons airplane. He participated in the 1965 U.S. invasion of the Dominican Republic and received a Purple Heart for his service. How Thornton would have felt about his untimely death and less-than-flattering portrayal in Cocaine Bear is anybodys guess. Thornton was an obedient child who didn't get into trouble, and he had a privileged upbringing. For me Drew was my favorite person to spend my time with online. He bailed out of his aircraft and died on impact after his parachute failed to open. [5] The plane crashed over 60mi (97km) away in Hayesville, North Carolina. It may not be the best ending to this story, but it most definitely was the most unexpected. Church at 112 E Blanche St, Pine Level, NC 27568. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. They further linked the Cessna to him when a garment bag was fished out of a pond 40 miles southeast of Atlanta, Georgia, which contained a pilots handbook with identifying numbers on it. When asked about the incident involving Thornton, a DEA agent at the time was quoted as saying, there was cocaine literally falling from the sky. Duffel bags containing 220 pounds of 95% pure cocaine was still being recovered in Georgia after Thorntons death. He also attended law school at night and received a law degree in 1976, though he never practiced law. Try again. He is survived by his wife of sixty-one years Mrs. Ruth Kennedy Thornton; daughters, Donna Capps (Wesley) of Smithfield, Gina Davis (Craig) of Smithfield, Carol Gunter (John) of Smithfield; brothers, Bryan Thornton (LaRena) of Raleigh, Jerry Thornton (Pat) of Smithfield, Glenn Thornton (Debbie) of Newton Grove; sisters, Lottie Corbett of Newton Grove and Ida Mozingo of Smithfield; grandchildren, Lara Jackson (Chris), Ryan Capps (girlfriend, Stormy Williams), Savannah Stewart, Chyann Gunter, Brooke Stewart and Alyssa Capps; great-grandchildren, Lucas Barbour, Thomas Jackson, Andrew Jackson and Pas little girl, Makenna Jackson; many nieces and nephews as well as extended family, Shauna Lee (Kelvin), Antonio Blake, Janet and Madelyn Johnson, Jacey Velazquez, Tonia Puckett, Mataya Grimes and Joaquin Trejo. Banks told USA Today she was forced to omit aspects of Thorntons life that were too wild even for this movie. Nevertheless, the character is so outrageous that when star Keri Russell first brought the script home, her husband and fellow actor Matthew Rhys read it and immediately said, Text [Elizabeth] Banks and tell her I want to play that guy.. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Annette was an early Volunteer for the Foundation of Hearing and Speech. [6] At the time of his death Thornton was wearing a bulletproof vest and expensive Italian shoes, and in possession of night vision goggles, a green army duffel bag containing approximately 35 kilograms (75lbs.) "Cocaine-Carrying Chutist Was Ex-Policeman, Lawyer", "Woman to Go on Trial As Smuggler's Helper", "NTSB Accident Report Identification: ATL85LA273", "Cocaine Bear: The True Story Behind the Ultimate Party Animal", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Andrew_C._Thornton_II&oldid=1151568992, This page was last edited on 24 April 2023, at 21:27. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. He had become increasingly paranoid. See other industries within the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services sector: Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services , Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services , Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services , Computer Systems Design and Related Services , Legal Services , Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services , Other . Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Please try again later. Surviving are his parents, Jim and Karen (Sabol) Thornton of Virginia Beach, Virginia; brothers, Zachary and Ryan Thornton of Virginia Beach, Virginia; paternal grandmother, Thelma (VanWyngarden) Thornton of Rustburg, Virginia; maternal grandparents, Dennis Sabol and Edwina Barton of Oxford, North Carolina and Anthony and Patricia (Malloy) Fronzaglia of Lynchburg, Virginia and many uncles, aunts and cousins. Ill never forget his laugh and how he brought everyones mood up. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. James "Jim" Hope Thornton Obituary - Courier-Journal So was James Lambert, once a prominent Lexington businessman who is now awaiting sentencing on a recent federal cocaine distribution conviction. Their association began in the early 1970s when Thornton worked closely with the DEA. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Olinger Funeral, Cremation & Cemetery - Highland Andrew DeHerrera passed away peacefully on January 10, 2022 at the age of 88 at his home in Denver, Colorado surrounded by his family and friends after a short illness. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.olingerhighland.com Grace Anne Conway, age 78, of Westminster, Colorado passed away on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Federal agents tried to trace the Cessna back to its maker; however, the company the Cessna was made at turned out to be nonexistent. On September 11th, 1985, Thornton was on a smuggling run from Colombia when he jumped from his autopiloted Cessna 404. Robert L. Williams' Cowboys Caravan looks into the death of his son David, and his skydiving relationship with Drew Thornton. TOM THORNTON OBITUARY. This is a carousel with slides. OBITUARY Annette Thornton Anderson February 15, 1935 - April 26, 2023 IN THE CARE OF Johns-Ridout's Funeral Parlors On April 26, 2023 Annette Thornton Anderson passed away peacefully surrounded by her family. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. THORNTON Thomas Andrew Thornton, born August 22, 1948 died of congestive heart failure on December 27, 2007. A search of a cabin Brown owned in Dead Horse Hollow uncovered a laboratory for manufacturing a poison that was sold on the streets as cocaine, according to Black. Andrew Carter Thornton II (October 30, 1944 September 11, 1985) was an American narcotics officer and lawyer who became the head member of "The Company", a drug smuggling ring in Kentucky. Colin McEvoy joined the Biography.com staff in 2023, and before that had spent 16 years as a journalist, writer, and communications professional. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. August 27, 2021 That was indeed Thornton's credo, according to those who knew him best. He told her he was of a hero consciousness, that at another time in history he would have been a Genghis Khan, a ninja or a samurai, a valorous paragon of battle. The importance of saying "I love you" during COVID-19, Effective ways of dealing with the grieving process, Solutions to show your sympathy safely during the Covid-19 pandemic. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.olingerhighland.com for the Brown family. He wore camouflage fatigues and swastikas and bulletproof vests, and talked about eyes for eyes and teeth for teeth. With any interaction with Ludie you realized what a true zest for life she had and an abundant love of family. OBITUARY Joseph Andrew Anderson January 29, 1935 - October 14, 2021 IN THE CARE OF Olinger Funeral, Cremation & Cemetery - Highland Dr. Joseph Andrew Anderson, beloved brother, uncle, cousin, and friends to many, of Denver, Colorado, formerly of Paris, departed this life on, Thursday, October 14, 2021, having attained the age of 86 years. Andrew Carter Thornton (1917-2010) - Find a Grave Memorial [1] He was sentenced to six months in prison, fined $500, placed on probation for five years, and had his law license suspended. Thats right. The day of the 1985 jump, he was flying from Colombia on a Cessna 404 loaded with cocaine. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? But there are some who feel it was the most appropriate way for him to go. Bill was a godly, family man and he will be missed by all his family and friends. Cocaine Bear plays fast and loose with a lot of facts, but the story of drug smugglers ill-fated plane trip is all too real. Mother of three, avid golfer, tennis player, and global traveler, Lourdes Ludie Abeto Litz was the eldest daughter of eight born in Manila, Philippines. He was a philosophical, incredibly disciplined, extremely spiritual, and loyal warrior, with his own code of ethics, who thrived on excitement.. These real-life events from 1985 were the inspiration behind the .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Elizabeth Banksdirected action-comedy movie Cocaine Bear, which hits theaters today.