Arthur Thistlewood III

Arthur Thistlewood III, 86, of Hayward, Calif., unexpectedly passed away on Oct. 5, 2016, while on vacation in New Mexico.

He was born on May 20, 1930, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Cairo, the son of  Halley Nelon Thistlewood and Arthur Thistlewood Jr.

He graduated from the Western Military Academy in Alton on May 28, 1947. He served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy.

He also studied architecture at the University of California, Berkley, and was a certified tax preparer for H&R Block and a travel agent for several years in the San Francisco Bay area.

In addition to his passion for reading, he enjoyed traveling and seeing many parts of the world, sharing his adventures to new places with family members by mailing postcards and pictures to them in fascinating letters.

He was preceded in death by his parents; grandparents Arthur Thistlewood Sr. and Corena M. Thistlewood; and a sister-in-law, Genevieve Thistlewood.

His memory will be cherished by his only brother, William “Bill” Bernard “T-Wood” Thistlewood; nephews Bill (Phyllis) Thistlewood Jr. and Larry (Dorothy) Thistlewood; great-nephew Kaelin (Brittany) Thistlewood; great-niece Tia Thistlewood (Bryan) Wheatley; great-great-nephew Brayden Thistlewood; step-nieces Beverly (Joe) Jessen and Carla (Dennis) Schaechtel; great-step-nephews William “Cody” (Rebecca) Simpson and Matthew “Colten” Simpson; great-step-niece Gennifer; great-great-step-niece and nephew Aniyah Simpson, and Maddox Simpson; and many friends.

Cremation has taken place and Mr. Thistlewood’s final resting place will be at Beechwood (a/k/a Thistlewood) Cemetery in Mounds. Crain Funeral Home in Cairo handled the committal service on Nov. 18, 2017.

To view the obituary or to leave an online condolence for the family, visit www.crainsonline.com.

Crain Funeral Home in Cairo was in charge of arrangements.