Obituary: Norbert Thonnard

Norbert Thonnard, 71, of Oak Ridge, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on Thursday, November 20, after a valiant battle with cancer.

Norbert was born in Berlin, Germany, on January 22, 1943, to the late Ernst and Constanza Thonnard. At age three, he moved with his parents and two sisters to Barenquilla, Colombia. His family immigrated to the United States when Norbert was 14. They lived in Tallahassee, Florida, and he attended Florida State University, where he met the love of life, Roslyn Oglesby.

Norbert received his PhD in physics from the University of Kentucky in 1970. He spent 13 years at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C. In 1983, he and his family moved to Oak Ridge, where he worked at Atom Sciences Inc., a high-tech spin-off of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee in 1993 and founded the Institute for Rare Isotope Measurements.

Norbert enjoyed solving problems and could fix anything, from atom-detecting lasers to a grandchild’s favorite toy. He was fond of floating on Norris Lake and couldn’t resist a good meal. But most of all, he loved spending time with his family.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Roslyn Thonnard; sons Stefan Thonnard and wife Lynn, and Paul Thonnard and wife Christin; daughters Janeen Domitrovic and husband Ron, and Dee Rudolph and husband Jacob; sisters Ingrid Phillips and Claudia Maxwell; niece Constance Maxwell and husband Richard Davidson; nephew William Maxwell and wife Kyongsook; grandchildren Samuel Thonnard, Rachael Thonnard, Margaret Thonnard, Noah Thonnard, Audrey Domitrovic, Anthony Thonnard, Eric Domitrovic, Max Thonnard, Liam Rudolph, and Aaron Rudolph; and grandniece Samara Maxwell.

The family received friends on Monday, November 24, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Weatherford Mortuary. The funeral began at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 25, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church with Fr. Michael Woods officiating. The burial followed at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.

The family asks that any memorials be made to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.

An online guest book can be signed at www.weatherfordmortuary.com.