Cancer claims former East Dundee police chief

Robert Thornhill, who served a 3-year stint as East Dundee’s police chief, died Sunday, just four months shy of his 50th wedding anniversary.

When she was in second grade at St. Catherine of Siena Grade School in West Dundee, Judy Rumple told her mother she was to marry Thornhill, a boy who was seven years her senior. It was then that he relayed the message to Rumple, through both of their mothers.

The two grew up in the church together, but he didn’t return her feelings until 12 years later. By then, she thought the age gap was too big and wasn’t interested. Even so, Mr. Thornhill wouldn’t take no for an answer and continued to pursue her.

“Today he probably would have been arrested for stalking,” his wife, now Judy Thornhill, joked.

His persistence paid off and the two married on May 5, 1962.

Thornhill, 78, died at home on New Year’s Day from lung cancer; his wife said he started smoking in the mid-1950s when he was in the Army and final quit cold turkey in 1995.

Thornhill, a Carpentersville native and 1951 graduate of St. Edward Catholic High School in Elgin, spent 18 years working as an electrician at Senior Flexonics, which was in Elgin, and moved to Bartlett.

But he had his heart set on becoming a police officer, because his dad had been an officer in Evanston and quit after two weeks, due to an injury that left him blind, his wife said.

In 1970, Thornhill worked part-time as an East Dundee police officer and as an electrician, then full-time in both professions — he remained an electrician for just another year before leaving to focus on police work. He rose through the ranks at East Dundee and was appointed chief for three years, before stepping down to become an officer. His wife declined to elaborate on why he accepted the demotion and would only say “there were a lot of politics involved.” Mr. Thornhill retired from the force as a sergeant in 1993.

Meanwhile, giving back was always part of his being.

He and his wife took care of 33 infant foster children through the Catholic Charities. On average, the kids spent between six and eight weeks with the Thornhills. They’d adopted their second son through the organization, which later asked the Thornhills to take care of foster kids because it was overwhelmed.

Thornhill was also a lifetime member of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church and belonged to its chapter of the Knights of Columbus,

His widow wants everyone to know her husband was a strong, kind man who loved his family and Jesus. She also hopes his story encourages others to quit smoking.

“All smoking is definitely a hazard,” she said. “To your own health and to people around you.”

Visitation will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Miller Funeral Home, 504 W. Main St., West Dundee, and again on Friday morning, at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church from 9 a.m. until the time of the 10 a.m. funeral Mass.