Gary Thurston

Gary Jay Thurston, 76, formerly of Wakefield, Rhode Island, died Saturday March 18 at his residence at Stratford Senior Living Center, Carmel, IN. Memorial services will be 2:00 p.m., Saturday, April 22, 2017, at First United Methodist Church, in Marshalltown. An additional memorial service will be held in Wakefield, RI, at a later date. Arrangements are entrusted to Anderson Funeral Homes, 405 W. Main St., Marshalltown. Contributions may be made to Doctors Without Borders (doctorswithoutborders.org), P.O. Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD, 21741, in honor of Gary J. Thurston. Online condolences may be sent to www.andersonfhs.com His parents, Jean Calmer Thurston and Orville W. Thurston, preceded him in death. He is survived by his three brothers, Paul W. Thurston (Catherine), Savoy, IL; Stan G. Thurston (Dotty), Des Moines, IA; and Dr. Lloyd Thurston (Allison), Broomfield, CO. He is also survived by a niece and nine nephews, Rachel Goddard (Jeff), Carmel, IN; Paul Thurston, Jr. (Ramona Powell), Chicago, IL; Michael Thurston (Nicole Griglione), Waukesha, WI; Dan Thurston (Ashley), Eden Prairie, MN; Adam Thurston (Melinda Jenkin...[more]

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oore), Ames, IA; Ben Thurston, Sedona, AZ; Nathan Thurston (Jessica), Des Moines, IA; Thomas Thurston (Kelli), Marshalltown, IA; Will Thurston, Broomfield, CO; Jack Thurston, Broomfield, CO; and a maternal aunt, Lois Timmons, Cherokee, IA. In addition, his step nieces and nephews include Kelly Whiting (Trever), Ankeny, IA; Molly Harris (David), Franklin, TN; Abby Goodman, Newport Beach, CA; Lauren Bumpus, Ames, IA; Brianne and Alex Bumpus, Broomfield, CO. Gary was born in Spencer, Iowa, in 1941, attended schools in Marshalltown, Iowa and graduated from Marshalltown High School in 1958 as a National Merit Finalist. He graduated with honors in history and as Phi Beta Kappa from Grinnell College in 1962. He received a masters degree (1965) and PhD. (1973) in history from Columbia University. He was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Harvards Ukrainian Research Institute and conducted research in post-Soviet Russia. He retired from the University of Rhode Island in 2011 as Emeritus Professor, where he had been a faculty member specializing in Russian and European History since 1966. A gifted writer and researcher, he authored The Popular Theater Movement in Russia, 1862-1919 as well as numerous professional essays, reviews and publications. He was the family historian, an avid gardener, and a gourmet cook. He was an enthusiastic international traveler. Gary had a deep appreciation for music and the arts, and for many years he was a season ticket holder for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. A beloved brother and supportive uncle, he was closely involved with the lives of his niece and nephews, hosting them in Rhode Island and through travel, always emphasizing the importance of hard work and the value of higher education. Despite his many accomplishments, he remained modest and humble. All of his extended family share a deep sense of loss in his passing.