Michele Marie Thorn

Michele M. (Retzke) Thorn, 56, passed away on October 30th, 2021 in Winnebago, Illinois. She was born on July 8th, 1965 in Rockford, daughter to Clifford Retzke and Harriet Kirschbaum Retzke. Michele started her working career at her family's business, CarMax, later becoming K & M Tooling. Through the business and selling nail polish strips through ColorStreet, Michele created many relationships that she cherished throughout the years. She also spent over ten years volunteering for the Winnebago robotics team, Winnovation; she was proud to help the robotics team with all of their annual fundraisers, events, and to step in if they needed a hand with anything else, including last minute tooling. She spent most of her kids childhood’s in the bleachers or by their side, cheering them on in any event they decided to be in. Through her kid’s friends, she grew to become the “second mom,” someone all of their friends could rely on too. In their free time they would camp every year as a family, a bonding experience they all cherished and in her free time alone, she loved to work on different art mediums.

She will be missed by those who loved her most, her children Bryan (Breanne) Thorn and Alysia (Michael) Maggio; her granddaughter Avery; parents Clifford Retzke and Harriet Kirschbaum Retzke; her siblings Kristin (Scott) Free, Tony Rudolph, and Jeanne (Chuck) Lee; her beloved dog Harper and so many nieces, nephews, cousins and beloved friends. A special mention to her fiancé Scott Bailey. She is predeceased by her step mother, Bette Retzke, grandparents, Max (Florence) Kirschbaum and Chuck (Lenore) Retzke as well as her brother, John Rudolph.

A visitation will take place on Sunday November 14th, 2021 from 1:00 p.m. until the time of memorial service at 3:00 p.m. at Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory, 1860 S. Mulford Road, Rockford, Illinois 61103. Burial will be private at Arlington Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family to be established at a later date. To send online condolences, please visit www.fitzgeraldfh.com