Obituary Details

Russell Dietz Thorp

(08/07/1927 - 10/27/1977)
Courtesy of The Lusk Herald, 12/08/1977

Russell Dietz Thorp Dies in California

Memorial services will be held Saturday for Russell Dietz Thorp of Mountain View, whose promise of fulfilling a rugged heritage ended in a lumber camp accident. He died Oct. 27 at Stanford University Hospital after nearly 20 years in bed. He was 50.

Thorp, 1776 California St., was the sole direct survivor of a pioneer Wyoming family. His grandfather, Russell Thorp, ran a stage line and his father, Russell Jr. was a cattle rancher.

Thorp, born in Denver, Colo., started early as a bronco buster in rodeos and was a policeman in Cheyenne, Wyo., after attending Amherst College and Wyoming University.

He served in the U.S. Army as an intelligence officer for a few years and then went to work as a lumberjack in Idaho.

In May of 1956, he was paralyzed from the chest down when a tree fell on him.

Thorp spent the next five years in hospitals and at one time had the unusual distinction of being in Stanford hospital longer than any other patient, three years.

A series of operations and treatment enabled him to get around in a wheelchair briefly, and he embarked on a plan to attend Foothill College and then Stanford University to complete his education. Various setbacks ended that hope after starting at Foothill in 1961.

He had earlier studied Russian and did research for fellows at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, including Alexander Kerensky, one-time premier of Russia.

Memorial services will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at All Saints Episcopal Church, Hamilton Avenue and Waverley Street, Palo Alto.

The Lusk Herald
Dec. 29, 1977

Russell Thorp Buried here

There will be a graveside service for Russell Dietz Thorp Friday, Dec. 30 at 1:30 p.m. at the Lusk Cemetery. Thorp died Oct. 27 at the Stanford University Hospital in California. A complete obituary appeared in the Dec. 8 Lusk Herald. The Rev. Frank Bozart will officiate.

Images & Attachments

Image
Photo courtesy of Gail Graham
View

Related/Linked Records

Record Type Name
Obituary Thorp, Russell (07/23/1877 - 10/26/1968) View Record
Historical Organization of Niobrara County, author unknown. View Record
Historical Reminiscences of the Founding and the Growth of the Town of Lusk View Record
Historical Old Mother FeatherLegs, Ike Diapert and George McFadden Share Lonely Grave Along the Trail, South of Lusk Monument View Record
Historical Niobrara Co. Passes Air Mail Quota Pageant at Lusk Airport at 3:00 P.M. View Record
Historical History of Old 77 Ranch View Record
Historical Cheyenne & Black Hills Trail and Stage Line View Record
Historical Cheyenne-Deadwood Trail View Record
Historical Niobrara County History Series, Part 2 View Record
Historical Quilt Project - Connecting the Threads of the Past View Record
Historical Quilt Squares - Russell Thorpe Stagecoach View Record
Historical Cheyenne-Deadwood Stagecoach's Last Surviving Driver Fred Sullivan View Record
Historical Airmail 1938 - National Airmail Week View Record
Historical Hat Creek Dateline: 1882/10/15 View Record
Historical Automobile History in Niobrara County View Record
Historical Hat Creek Dateline: 1882/11/14 View Record
Historical Hat Creek Dateline: 1883/05/22 View Record
Historical Hat Creek Dateline: 1883/05/24 View Record
Historical Hat Creek Dateline: 1883/07/20 View Record
Historical Hat Creek Dateline: 1883/08/30 View Record
Historical Texas Trail born with mass exodus to the north View Record
Historical Cheyenne - Deadwood Stage Coach Presented to Lions View Record
Historical Lusk Founding View Record
Historical Old Mother Featherlegs Shepard, by Russell Thorp View Record
Historical Stage on the Way; May 17 Celebration is Being Prepared View Record
Historical Sullivan, Phillip Fred View Record
Historical Gov. Warren Praises Lusk 1886 View Record
Historical Men Big Enough to Match the Prairie Ran the Stage Line View Record
Historical Once Trails Crossed Near Lusk; Now It's Highways View Record
Historical Stagecoach Museum View Record
Historical Local D.A.R. Organized in ’24; Created Park View Record
Historical Historical Agnew Ranch Sells Thursday View Record
Historical Cold Springs Stage Robbery in 1878 Was Most Daring View Record
Historical Lusk's First Business Men As Recalled By the Founder and First Editor of The Herald View Record
Obituary Thorp, Josephine (04/30/1842 - 01/18/1912) View Record