Willard Thane

Willard “Red” Thane, age 79, passed away Sunday, November 18, 2007 at Tendercare in Tawas City, following a lingering illness. He was born September 12, 1928 in Cass City, the son of the late Charles & Anna Kathleen (Karr) Thane. Willard entered the Navy at the age of eighteen near the end of World War II. Willard married the former Margaret Furness on October 27, 1956. During most of his working life, he was employed by various road construction companies as a heavy machine operator all around the state of Michigan. Before retiring in 1992, Willard and his wife moved to Tawas City to live in 1981. Surviving are his wife of fifty-one years Margaret Thane of Tawas City; five children and their spouses, Willard & Marie Thane of Cass City, Ivan & Lottie Thane of Gladwin, Don Swalwell of Commerce Twp., Michigan, Dan Swalwell living in Texas and Gary Swalwell of Cass City; twenty-six grandchildren, twenty-nine great-grandchildren; two brothers and two sisters, Glenn & Sylvia Guilds, Frankie Guilds, Janet Wolf and Marge Ballard and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Willard was preceded in death by three sons, David and Bruce Thane and Ronald Swalwell and his granddaughter, Veronica (Swalwell) Kish.