Charlotte "Nobo" Thornton

Charlotte “Nobo” Thornton, 101, of Lawrence, Kansas, passed away peacefully on April 12, 2026, with her loving family by her side. She was born in Kyoto, Japan, on March 21, 1925, to the late Asano and Haruo Otsuki. Charlotte is survived by her three children and their spouses: Michael Thornton and Nora Medina, of Bradenton, Florida; June Thornton-Marsh of Waterville, Maine; and Madi and Robbie Vannaman of Lawrence, Kansas. She is also survived by two grandchildren, James (and Lily) Hahn of Hebron, Kentucky, and Dylan (and Jake) Wysocki of Mount Vernon, Maine, 4 great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. Charlotte was predeceased by her daughter, Margie Thornton, in 1979.

Charlotte was a survivor. She went through the devastation of war in Japan during WWII and moved to the States during the Korean War with her infant son, speaking little English. She raised her children, often by herself, when her husband was stationed away from the family. Throughout it all, she will be remembered as a fun, caring, and creative person who, after the loss of her daughter Margie, went to console parents who had also lost children. 

Charlotte was a mother figure to many, and her proudest achievement was raising four accomplished, decent, and loving children. She attributed her long life to diligent attention to exercise and healthy eating. Charlotte was an avid lover of nature, surrounding her home with the beauty of plants and flowers. She enjoyed the creative artistry of quilting, crocheting, knitting, sewing, needlepoint, and dried flower arranging. Charlotte taught Bonsai and loved volunteering with the elderly, who saw her as their angel. Charlotte enjoyed water aerobics, yoga, and board games, where her talent in drawing came in handy with Pictionary.

One of Charlotte’s favorite scriptures was Jeremiah 29:11 “ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” We are thankful she is now in the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Instead of a funeral service and in lieu of sending flowers, Charlotte’s family asks to honor her by donating to the Visiting Nurses Association  https://www.kansasvna.org/donate . We are thankful for the kind, compassionate and supportive care VNA provided, and we are especially thankful for nurses Angie and Jordan.