Longtime business owner who served on countless local boards dies at 71 at family cabin on Whidbey Island in Washington; Sen. Wyden, Gov. Kotek among those offering high praise

By Buffy Pollock, Rogue Valley Times

Family, community members and longtime friends of Medford native Bill Thorndike Jr. were collectively at a loss for words over the weekend at the sudden loss of a man they say had a hand in nearly anything good to happen in Southern Oregon for much of the past half-century.

Thorndike, 71, suffered a heart attack early Saturday morning, just following a Valentine’s Day spent with his wife, Angela Thorndike, at a family cabin on Whidbey Island in Washington’s Puget Sound. Thorndike, president of Medford Fabrication, a business founded by his family in the mid-1940s, had deep ties to Southern Oregon and served for decades to help countless community organizations.

The 1972 graduate of Medford High was born Dec. 15, 1953. Thorndike held numerous board positions around the Rogue Valley, including at Southern Oregon University, Oregon Business Council, Regence-Oregon BlueCross BlueShield, Crater Lake National Park Trust, Oregon Community Foundation and Asante Health System.

Jackson County Justice of the Peace Joe Charter wrote in a December 2023 column for the Rogue Valley Times, “Bill Thorndike Jr. spends much of his day, and has spent most of his life, making the Rogue Valley community a better place.”

Charter quoted Thorndike as saying, “I used to say I was a bridge-builder. Now I’ve shifted. I’m a navigator and a storyteller. That’s where I think I can make a difference.”

Making a difference was a predominant theme in Thorndike’s personal and professional life, those closest to him said. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., considered Thorndike a friend and “an incredible guy who represented the best of what Southern Oregon is all about.”

“I don’t think you can write the story of Southern Oregon without Bill Thorndike, because he was such a kindred spirit for all the things that the community wanted to do in terms of help for small businesses, help for community organizations and for giving Southern Oregon the best possible profile,” Wyden told the Rogue Valley Times on Monday.

“This hits the community really, really hard. A significant number of the good causes … that have crossed my desk had Bill Thorndike’s name on them. He was always trying to help,” the senator said. “He was just an amazing person who embodied the best of Southern Oregon. … I don’t even think I ever knew what political party he belonged to. … And it never seemed to matter.”

KOBI-TV NBC5 Vice President and General Manager Bob Wise said he met Thorndike when Wise moved to the Rogue Valley in 2004, noting, “When I first started my job at KOBI-TV, our owner Patsy Smullin said the first person you need to meet is Bill Thorndike, and so I did… and he has just been an incredible mentor to me and countless others.

“If you’ve ever met somebody that they’re always the smartest person in the room, but they would never say that, that was Bill,” Wise said. “Just a very sweet man, very humble. … Some people have a legacy that they leave behind, but legacy isn’t even the right word for what Bill gave to our community. … The involvement he had in everything. When I needed him, he was there. When the community needed him, he was there. He was just such a guiding light, and his word and his wisdom carried so much weight.”

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek took to social media on Sunday, noting, “I am sad to hear about the passing of Bill Thorndike. Oregonians can thank him for his entrepreneurship and unwavering charity and service to others, especially his neighbors in Southern Oregon. Sending love to his family today.”

Pacific Retirement Services interim CEO Anthony Sabatini calls Thorndike’s passing a heartbreaking loss, noting, “As a former, longtime PRS board member and most recently PRS Foundation Board member, Bill cared deeply about the seniors in our Community Housing program, making sure they had a safe and comfortable place to call home,” Sabatini said in a message to the Times.

Dee Anne Everson, executive director of United Way of Jackson County, posted a tribute to Thorndike on social media Saturday.

“He served on virtually every board and was a part of every good thing that’s happened in the Rogue Valley. He also served as a leader in our state and country. He was someone we all counted on to do the right thing at the right time. This is a huge loss,” Everson said.

Just like Wise, Everson was introduced to Thorndike when she began at United Way 29 years ago. Thorndike presented her with a copy of an article on “being agile” in her professional work, which still sits on her desk.

“When I first moved here and got my job, everyone said, ‘You have to meet Bill Thorndike,’ so I called him and said, ‘Everyone says I should meet you.’ And he said, ‘Well, come on over.’” Everson recalled.

“He was like that with everyone and I think I’ve now, over the years, told more than 100 people, ‘You should meet Bill Thorndike.’”

Everson said she surprised Thorndike by naming her agency’s auditorium, which he helped fundraise for, after him. “He was just truly the most generous, intelligent, wise, kind person. … We lost really a huge part of our community this weekend. … He loved deeply this community, and I honestly don’t know how we’ll do without him.”

Southern Oregon University Rick Bailey echoed the same sentiment, calling Thorndike “a lion of service in the Rogue Valley.”

“When you look at just how prolific his contributions have been to our community, and to the state of Oregon and beyond, no one will ever match him,” Bailey said.

“He has undoubtedly earned a spot on the Mount Rushmore of community minded citizens in Southern Oregon. I will always be grateful to him as a mentor, thought partner, and dear friend.”

Thorndike’s brother Dan Thorndike said family members were still processing the unexpected loss of a man who “was such a solid presence in every way.”

“Obviously, everybody knows about all his community involvement and his statewide and federal stuff and all that, but he’s just always been such an excellent brother and uncle,” Dan Thorndike said.

Two years his brother’s junior, Dan Thorndike said the brothers were close growing up and had a lot of the same friends, many of whom had reached out since the weekend.

“I’ve had people pop out of the woodwork — calls from as far away as New Zealand. Everyone found out pretty quickly and have reached out. Everyone is just at a loss for words,” Dan Thorndike said.

“His network was big and far-reaching. He really cared about people. … He left a big mark.”

Thorndike is survived by his wife, Angela Littlefield Thorndike; brothers Dan and David; and nieces and nephews Camila, Isabella, Trevor, Anna and Thomas; a slew of cousins and an assortment of beloved dogs and horses.

Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 458-488-2029 or bpollock@rv-times.com. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.