Earl Thrush

Earl Dean Thrush, 94, of Great Falls, a retired automobile mechanic and Army veteran, passed away of natural causes on Wednesday, September 5, 2012 at a Peace Hospice facility.A funeral service will be held at Ferries Funeral Home in Sheridan, Wyoming, on Monday, September 10, 2012 at 1:00 p.m.Interment will follow at the Sheridan Municipal Cemetery.Local arrangements are being handled by Schnider Funeral Home.Earl Dean Thrush was born August 23, 1918 in Sheridan, Wyoming, the second son of David W. and Florence Thrush. He graduated from Sheridan High School and started working for his father at the Thrush Garage. He married his high school sweetheart, Louise Bailey, September 12, 1939. Earl served in the Army Air Corps during World War II as an airplane mechanic. After the war, he worked for Frontier Airlines in Billings, Montana and then returned to the Thrush Garage and continued that business as a self-employed automobile mechanic.Earl was a member of First Baptist Church of Sheridan and through the years he served as a deacon and church board member as well as teaching a junior high Sunday school class. He volunteered many hours of service to Camp Bethel as their on-call mechanic and fix it person as well as serving on the board for the camp. Earl's steadfast faith and love for his Lord has been a lifelong inspiration to his family and friends. He enjoyed hiking, fly fishing, football, stamp collecting, traveling and spending time with his family.Earl is survived by his two children, Don (Gay) Thrush of Great Falls and Carol (John) Cochran of Puyallup, WA; five grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his wife, Louise; and his two brothers, Paul and Loren.Memorial contributions may be made to Camp Bethel, P.O. Box 70, Dayton, WY 82836.Condolences may be left for the family at www.schniderfuneralhome.com.