Margaret (Peg) Elizabeth Thornton Genthner

PORTLAND - Peg Thornton Genthner, August 17, 1911 - January 10, 2014, passed away peacefully Friday evening in her home at Birchwoods in Portland, Maine where she had resided for the past several years. Peg was born the 4th of 9 children to John Thornton and Mary Walsh Thornton who immigrated to Portland from County Galway as teenagers, met and married here. She was very proud of her Irish heritage and, as matriarch of the extended Thornton Clan, was loved and admired by generations of family and friends. She graduated from Cathedral High School in 1929 and worked at the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and at General Motors Finance Corporation prior to her marriage to Charles J. Genthner on April 12, 1947. They resided first in Portland, Maine and then in Manchester, New Hampshire after the birth of their daughter, Catherine Marie. They then returned to Maine, living in Falmouth for many happy years. Peg was devoted to her family, especially her grandson Christopher, and was likewise involved in the lives of both her siblings and many nieces and nephews. The family gatherings at her homes on Woodmont St. in Portland and Knight St. in Falmouth were legendary. She enjoyed boating with Charlie and Cathy from their camp on Small Point and later from Handy Boat in Falmouth. She was an avid reader and walker who could be found on the margin of Route 88 for her daily constitutionals. She lived on her own and was active into her 11th decade. A gala celebration of her 100th birthday at the Inn by the Sea brought four generations of family members from Ireland and all over the U.S. She visited the Thornton Homestead where her father was born in Carragarrou, near Maam Cross in Connemara, County Galway and remained in touch with her Irish cousins throughout her life. Peg was predeceased by her husband, Charles and daughter, Catherine as well as her eight siblings, Mary Frates, Thomas, John, Catherine (Sister Maureen R.S.M.), Helen Harris, Joseph, Robert and David. She is survived by her grandson, Christopher Charles Shea of Rhode Island, her son-in-law, Brian Shea of Rhode Island, three generations of nieces and nephews, and many other members of her extended family whose lives she touched and enriched with her smile and affection. Visiting hours will be held on Saturday, January 18, 2014 from 9:00 to 10:30am at the Conroy-Tully Crawford Funeral Home, 172 State Street, Portland, followed by an 11:00am Mass of Christian Burial at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 307 Congress Street, Portland. Burial will be private. Those who wish may make contributions in Margaret's name to: Sisters of Mercy Retirement Fund, 966 Riverside Street, Portland, Maine 04103.Online condolences may be expressed below.