"Mr. Paul Thornhill," as he was affectionately known by my family, passed from this life March 22, 2005. He was a native of Eagle Lake and was a former member of this congregation. He was more than just an acquaintance to me. He was my first known experience with a Thornhill. When I first met Paul, I did not know the difference between a Thornhill or a Smith. I did not know the long, rich history of the Thornhill family. Paul was a brother in Christ. Yet, there were a few things about him that especially attracted me, characteristics that I later discovered were common to just about every other Thornhill I have met through the years.

First, Paul loved the Lord and His church. He served as a deacon with the South Florida Avenue church of Christ for several years, mainly working in the area of benevolence. He was reliable and very wise in discerning between those who were truly in need and those who were just trying to take advantage of the church. He helped me a few times when I taught night classes at the school. People would sometimes come to the school at night, asking for assistance. I did not know what else to do but call Paul. He was always available when I called him to direct me in what to do. Sometimes he would have me take food from the church “pantry” and give to them. One time, Paul asked me some questions about the man asking for help, and then Paul proceeded to describe him to me, and eventually had me give the phone to the man. I do not know exactly what Paul said but the man left in haste. Turns out Paul had dealt with him before. Paul also served on the Florida School of Preaching board of directors for several years until his retirement in 2003.

Second, Paul loved nature. Agriculturally, he was a wealth of knowledge concerning native Florida plants, especially the fruit producing kind. He was my "agricultural advisor." He was always available when I had questions about my own plants. As a house warming gift, Paul gave me a mango tree. My family can attest to the effort and expense I go through to protect that tree in the winter. The main reason why I have always gone to such great lengths is because of who gave me that tree. Yes, the fruit is delicious, even though the raccoons eat much of it, but the tree has always had sentimental value to me, especially now that Paul is gone. As an outdoorsman, the woods were Paul's playground. He allowed me the privilege of hunting with him a few times. Yes, the hunting was fun, but the best part was listening to Paul's stories as we traveled and the lunch breaks. These guys knew how to break for lunch! We had full course, cooked meals in the middle of the woods, consisting sometimes of swamp cabbage, venison, salad complete with home grown avocados, and lots of citrus!

Third, Paul loved to talk. He had the gift of gab, but his “gab” often had to do with history, whether it was about his family, Polk County, or the State of Florida. We both had in common a love for history. The things that happened to him and/or his family in real life were more amazing (and humorous) than anything Hollywood could concoct. The last story he told me, toward the end of this past deer hunting season, was how his 30-30 rifle ended up in court before the judge. I laughed the night away as I thought on it, and it still brings a smile when I think about it.

It was not my initial intent to write this much about Paul Thornhill, and I thank you for bearing with me, as this serves as "therapy"for me, but as the title of this article indicates, he was my first known contact with the Thornhill family. Since first getting to know Paul in 1996, I have met scores of other Thornhills, some who I may have already known but at the time did not know of their connection with the Thornhill family. Although there is bound to be one somewhere, I have not yet met a Thornhill I did not like. As I think about why, the same three characteristics that attracted me to Paul apply to the other Thornhills I know well: they love the Lord (consider how many serve as deacons and elders in the churches of Christ throughout Polk County), they love nature (I now have plenty of other Thornhill "agricultural advisors"), and they love to talk, especially about their families. My love for the Thornhill family began with "Mr. Paul Thornhill."