Denver L. Thornton, 82, of El Dorado, Arkansas passed away on Friday, January 17, 2025, in El Dorado after a brief illness. He was born on December 27, 1942, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He was the son of the late Homer E. Thornton and Maggie L. Thornton.
Proceeding him in death were his parents; brother and sister-in-law, Dean and Marjorie Thornton; and a son-in-law, Roger Dollar. Survivors include his precious wife of 19 years, Robin Thornton of El Dorado; daughters, Jennifer Stone (Paul) of El Dorado; and Lara Kathryn Dollar of El Dorado; in-laws, Frank and Melba Bandy of Montgomery, LA; step-son, Paul Marcus Northcutt, Jr. (Whitney) of Gentry, AR; step-daughters, Amanda Cooley (Scott) of El Dorado; and Amy Sturdivant (Cole) of Smackover, AR; sister-in-law, Ginger Davies of Baton Rouge, LA; brothers-in-law, Jeff Bandy (Mary) of Calhoun, LA; and Brad Bandy of Vidor, TX; nephew, Deano Thornton (Teresa) of Winnfield, LA; and niece, Gilda Wood (Wayne) of McKinney, TX; and 4 granddaughters, Chloe Northcutt, Jill Stone, Rebekah Cooley, and Rachael Cooley. Everyone who knew him, knows that his granddaughters were the absolute joy of his life.
Denver received his undergraduate degree from Henderson State University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1967. Denver was a Captain in the Army Reserves; he went to boot camp in Fort Polk, Louisiana.
After law school, Denver was hired as a Federal Law Clerk for U.S. District Judge, Oren Harris and moved to El Dorado. He later went into private practice with Worth Camp and Ron Griggs. In November, 1974, he went into solo practice. He was elected Delegate to the Arkansas Constitutional Convention, which was held in 1979 through 1980. He practiced law for over 50 years. In his later years, his practice was limited to Social Security Disability, Personal Injury, and Workers Compensation.
He was the owner of Thornton Thoroughbred. Where he bred racehorses and enjoyed watching them run at Oaklawn and Louisiana Downs.
He was a long-time member of First United Methodist Church, where he taught numerous Sunday School Classes over the years. He helped fund and had built the El Dorado Nursing School in the Mulongo Democratic Republic of Congo. He was also a member of the El Dorado Lions Club; the Saharah Shriners; he was a Mason; he was member of the Union County Bar Association, and the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association.
Visitation for family and friends will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 on Friday, January 24, 2025, at Young’s Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 PM Saturday, January 25, 2025, at First United Methodist Church with Reverend Allen Crum officiating. Interment will follow at Mt. Zion Methodist Cemetery, Montgomery, LA at a later date.
Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church, 201 South Hill Ave., El Dorado; to the American Cancer Society; or to the Friendly Planet Missiology, 402 East Main Street, Plainfield, IN 46168 (on behalf of the nursing school in the Congo).
Serving as honorary pallbearers will be the Union County Bar Association.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.youngsfuneralhome.com
