Newhallville will say goodbye this weekend to a beloved barber shop owner who has been a fixture on Newhall Street for 49 years.
Eddie “Mr. Eddie” Thorne, the owner of Eddie’s Barber Shop, passed away Monday after a battle with cancer. He was 77 years old.
His daughter Sheila said Friday that growing up with a dad whom everyone in the community knew was tough.
“You couldn’t go anywhere and get in trouble,” she said with a laugh. “You don’t even know if people were his customers or his lodge brothers.”
Mr. Eddie was known as not only a barber but a pillar in the community. He was an active member of Community Baptist Church, where he served as the president of the usher board. He also was a past master of the Mason Oriental Lodge No. 6 and a member of the Eastern Star’s Eureka Chapter No. 2.
Mr. Eddie came to New Haven from Nashville, N.C. His brother Robert said that their parents were sharecroppers. Mr. Eddie grew up working the fields planting corn and tobacco. Mr. Eddie and Robert are from a family that had a total of 11 siblings.
“He plowed with mules,” Robert Thorne said. “Mr. Eddie moved here and went to barber college in Hartford. A few years later he had the opportunity to acquire this building and he started the business here.”
Robert said that for the 49 years that Mr. Eddie owned the barber shop he was all about the customer.
“Mr. Eddie was to the customer whatever they needed him to be,” he said. “Mr. Eddie would float wherever they wanted to go. If they talked about football he could talk football.”
Sheila said that her dad leaves an awesome legacy as a parent to her and her other two siblings and as a father figure to others who knew him over the years.
“He was a great man,” she said. “I love him. I’m going to miss him, his presence, his smile, his laughter, his humor.”
Robert said the family hasn’t yet made a decision about whether the barbershop will continue on without Mr. Eddie.
Official Obituary
Eddie L. Thorne, 77, of New Haven, passed away Monday, Oct. 30. He was born in Nashville, N.C. to the late Robert and Truller Walker Thorne on June 10, 1940. He was an original, licensed afro-specialist who owned Mr. Eddie’s Barbershop for 49 years. He attended Community Baptist Church where he served as the president of the usher board. He also served as a past master at Oriental Lodge #6.
Eddie leaves to cherish his memory, his wife of 55 years, Rose Thorne; sons, Alan B. (Francine) Thorne Sr. and Rodney L. Thorne; daughter, Sheila Thorne (Nathaniel) Edmonds; brothers, Willie Charles Thorne, George Thorne, Wilbert Thorne, Robert Thorne, Jr., and William McKinley Thorne; sisters, Mildred I. Alston, Annette Wiggins, and Geraldine Thorne; five grandchildren; and a host of relatives and friends.
On Saturday a public Masonic service will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at Howard K. Hill Funeral Services, 1287 Chapel St, New Haven, CT 06511. On Sunday at Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church, 782 Orchard St, New Haven, CT 06511. Calling hours will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with a celebration of life to begin at 6 p.m. Interment will take place Monday, November 6, 2017, at 11 a.m. at Beaverdale Memorial Park, New Haven. To leave a message of comfort for the Thorne family, please visit, www.hkhfuneralservices.com
We used to live across the street at 211 Newhall street. Our house has long since been torn down and new houses built... We moved to Church St. South in 1972? Mr. Eddie and his family were lovely people. I grew up going to Ebeneezer church with the Thorn children... I am still friends with Alan Thorn, although I see him randomly.
Mr. Eddie lived his faith in all areas of his life. He was a graceful elegant man, generous of heart and spirit. You know you were in the presence of greatness each and every time you walked into the barbershop. His passing isa tremendous loss for the Newhaville community and for New Haven overall.
What a gift of a man to all of us who had the pleasure to cross his path.