Obituary

MANUELA "MATZI" NAPIER THORNTON - in Woburn, January 26th. Beloved wife of Wayne A. Thornton. Devoted mother of Patrick Thornton of Woburn. Loving daughter of James and Gisela (Dombrowsky) Napier of Tennessee. Dear sister of James and Ronald Napier and Madeleine Johnson, all of NC. Private services will be held in the spring. Arrangements by the Lynch-Cantillon Funeral Home, Woburn.

OBITUARY:

Manuela "Matzi" Napier Thornton, 59, of Woburn passed away peacefully on January 26th, following a decades-long battle against multiple sclerosis. She was the beloved wife of Wayne A. Thornton for nearly 23 years, and the loving mother of Patrick, 17, a junior at Woburn Memorial High School.

Born in West Berlin, West Germany, Manuela was the first daughter of James C. Napier, who was serving with the U. S. Army occupation forces, and Gisela Dombrowsky, a Berlin native. As a child in a military family, she spent most of her youth in Germany, France, and Italy, and even as a youngster was fluent in German and French. As a 5th grader, she took the lead role as "Gretel" in a theatrical production of "Hansel and Gretel"—performed in German for German public audiences. Her family later settled in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she completed high school in 1968.

Manuela majored in Education at the University of Kentucky, graduating in 1972. A dedicated teacher, she earned a Master's Degree in Reading Education and specialized in teaching reading to elementary schoolchildren in the Appalachian area of Kentucky. She later taught elementary school and reading in inner-city schools in Tampa, Florida.

Starting in 1980, Manuela attended Law School at the University of Florida, earning her JD degree in 1983. She worked for law firms in Lakeland and Orlando, Florida, and specialized in defense for cases related to medical malpractice and worker's compensation claims. She was dedicated to combating insurance fraud, and was highly regarded by both judges and other attorneys. On several occasions, she argued important cases before the Florida Supreme Court. Throughout her career as a courtroom litigator, she never lost a single case.

On Valentine's Day, 1987, Manuela married Wayne Thornton, a naval officer, and thereafter balanced busy roles as practicing attorney and Navy wife. Her introduction to Navy life came the day she arrived at her new home in San Diego, California: Her husband's submarine received emergency orders to deploy for two months, and as the wife of the Executive Officer (the second ranking officer on the ship), she was expected to take a leadership role among the ship's wives. She did so (while concurrently studying for the California Bar exam) in a way that not only earned the respect of the other wives, but also their lifelong friendship and affection.

Manuela worked briefly for the U.S. Department of Labor in San Francisco, and beginning in 1989, served as a civilian attorney with the Office of General Counsel in the Department of the Navy (in Washington, D.C. and San Diego). She was a master at settling cases out-of-court, and routinely resolved tough legal issues that had eluded resolution for years.

Between 1991 and 1994, her husband served as Commanding Officer of USS DRUM (SSN 677). During his 33-month assignment as commanding officer, the ship was gone from home port more than 75 percent of the time. Manuela worked tirelessly to "keep up the home front" and help the other wives cope with the long periods of separation. Manuela was pregnant during the ship's first 6-month deployment, and her son was born only a few hours after the ship returned home.

After a brilliant but too-short professional career, Manuela retired for health reasons in 1997. She then became active in the North Coast Presbyterian Church in Encinitas, California.

The Thorntons moved to Woburn in 1999. Though confined to a wheelchair, Manuela volunteered as a reading tutor at Altavesta Elementary, and actively supported school activities, the Cub Scouts, and kids' sports programs. Despite her many notable accomplishments, Manuela often said that her most important achievement was her son, Patrick.

Surviving are her beloved husband, Wayne; her son, Patrick; her parents, James and Gisela Napier of Mountain City, Tennessee; and her siblings, Madeleine Johnson, James Napier, and Ronald Napier, all of Fayetteville, North Carolina; as well as many devoted colleagues and friends.

A memorial service will be held in the Spring.

In lieu of flowers, family and friends are kindly asked to make a donation to the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, 733 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017.