Obituary of Thursdon Hand

Thursdon Hand, 91, of Glen will be greatly missed by family and friends. He was respected, admired and loved by all. He passed away on May 11, 2008 at St. Mary's Hospital in Amsterdam, with his loving family at his side. He was born on September 11, 1916 to James Hand and Evelyne R. Osterhout. He is survived by three children, Darlene and her husband George Douglas of Fort Hunter, Leellyn and her husband Gary Selden of Alamogordo, NM and Wayne and his wife Christine Dumar of Big Flats, NY; nine grandchildren, sixteen great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild; his sister Rhea and husband William Auspelmyer of Mill Point and brother Lynwood, of Glen. He was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Grace Ballard Hay in November 2007. Thursdon was a 1935 graduate of Fonda High School and took over the family farm in Glen where he raised turkeys and beef cattle, the first in the area to do so. He opened Hand's Restaurant in Fonda, and then Fultonville, operating from 1959 through 1966 as the manager and head chef. He served as the Superintendent of the Montgomery County Fairgrounds for 12 years from 1969 through 1976 having built, renovated or repaired almost every building at the fairgrounds. Thursdon was the first Scout Master in Glen. He was a member of the Board of Education while the Fonda-Fultonville Central School was being built and played an active role during consolidation. He is a charter member of the Glen Fire Dept., having held various offices including Chief. He was also on the board of the Glen Cemetery. He was active in the Glen Reformed Church and has served on the Consistory and a member of the choir. After retiring, he made history come to life in wooden villages, forts, the Old Fonda Courthouse, a lumber mill, and many scenes complete with animals, people and machinery. A building at the Fonda Fair is filled with his dioramas depicting past American life. All of the buildings, people, animals and props were created from wood and Thursdon's imagination. He loved flying, got his pilot's license in the mid 1960's, plus owned and piloted several different types of private and experimental aircraft for more than 30 years. Many friends and family received their first airplane ride from Thursdon. He regularly flew from a landing strip on the family farm until 1994, rode a motorcycle until1999, and an ATV until as recently as last week. Cremation has taken place and he will be interred beside his wife, Grace, in the Maple Avenue Cemetery in Fultonville. A celebration of his life is planned for Wednesday, May 14, 2008, at 2:00 PM at the Glen Reformed Church, Route 161, Glen, New York with the Rev Norman Hamm officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Thursdon's memory to the Glen Reformed Church, State Route 161, Fultonville, New York 12072 or the Glen Cemetery, in care of the funeral home. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Jackson & Betz Funeral Home, 15 Main Street, Fultonville, New York.