Jo Ann “Jo” Thorne, a longtime Thornton resident and former Thornton city councilmember, died on Friday, Feb. 22, in Northglenn. She was 82.

“It was an honor to serve with Jo Thorne on City Council,” said current District 34 Rep. Steve Lebsock, who served with Thorne on council for two years as the city’s Ward 2 representative. “Her work on City Council and in the faith-based community will be missed.

Thorne, who was born on Sept. 13, 1930, in Fairmont, W. Va., first moved to Thornton in 1971 and began her service on the council board in 1986.

In all, she served on 10 city boards and commissions during her 19-year tenure as the city’s Ward 2 council member, including the Parks and Recreation Board, Thornton Utilities Board and the Thornton City Center Association, Stapleton NOISE Action Committee, Charter Review Committee, E-470 Authority Board, Colorado Municipal League (CML) Policy Committee, North Metro Chamber of Commerce and Chairwoman of the North Metro Fire Rescue Authority.

Thorne also served on the Colorado Municipal League Policy Committee, Airport Noise Forum, Airport Coordinating Committee, National League of Cities Transportation Policy Committee, Building Code Advisory Board as a City Council liaison, and National Organization to Insure a Sound-Controlled Environment (N.O.I.S.E.) as the organization’s President and Vice President.

Former Thornton Mayor Noel Busck said Thorne was also a driving force in securing the city’s future water supply from the northern part of the Cache La Poudre River in the late-1980s.

He said Thorne was also instrumental in obtaining money for original Thornton residents to replace their windows and install air conditioning in their homes to mitigate noise from old Stapleton Airport and later advocated for the move of the airport to its current site.

As a lover of the arts, Busck said Thorne worked in the 1980s to organize a committee tasked with preserving and fostering the presence of arts within the city — an effort that eventually led to the creation of the Thornton Arts, Sciences and Humanities Council.

“She was a very strong lady,” Busck said. “It was a pleasure knowing her and serving with her. She truly was a fine leader for our community and really helped Thornton move in the right direction.”

She was proceeded in death by her husband Lyle Thorne and is survived by her two children, Ken Thorne of Thornton and Kim Thorne of Highlands Ranch, and four grandchildren Kyle, Courtney, Adam and Jake.

No services will be held at her behest.

In lieu of flowers, her family has asked for donations to be sent to The American Lung Association at www.lung.org/associations/states/colorado/donate.