[Obit] Julia Thorne, at 61; author, activist was ex-wife of Senator Kerry

boston.com ^ | April 28, 2006 | By Mark Feeney

[cloud8]

Julia Thorne, an author, activist, and former wife of US Senator John F. Kerry, died yesterday in Concord. She was 61.

The cause of death was transitional-cell carcinoma, a form of cancer, according to her daughter Vanessa Kerry.

In a telephone interview, John Kerry called Ms. Thorne "a great friend to a lot of people" and spoke with emotion of her accomplishments as a parent. "She was the best mom two daughters could want," he said. "She was completely committed to the kids and their future."

Her daughter echoed that view.

"She was a phenomenal mother," said Vanessa Kerry, of Cambridge. "And she affected many others, too. So many people have come up to me over the years, even on the campaign trail, to say how much of a difference her books made for them. People basked in her embrace of life."

[I still care]

"She was a phenomenal mother"

I don't know. From what I have seen of her daughters, I haven't been that impressed.

I don't care how old my daughter is. If she had shown up to an event with her boobies showing, I would have given her what for.

[Lizavetta]

In 1982 Thorne, who was suffering from severe depression, asked Kerry for a separation. They were divorced on July 25, 1988

That should have cleared it up, non?

[raccoonradio]

Oh, Kerry was broke all right. From a past FR post...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1173324/posts :

---

From a larger, 6 part story on Kerry from the Boston Globe:

"Kerry's personal life, meanwhile, was becoming increasingly tumultuous. He had separated from his first wife, Julia Thorne, in 1982, and the divorce became final in 1988. For much of their marriage, Julia, who came from a wealthy Long Island family, had provided significant financial contributions. The divorce left Kerry strapped for cash and looking for ways to meet child-support payments, campaign debts, and tuition costs.

(snip)
"Kerry acknowledges money "was tight" for him in those days. "I was spending all I had," he says. Regarding honoraria, which Congress banned in 1991, Kerry says: "I did not take honoraria from anyone who had anything in front of my committee."

"Kerry also signed on as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the fund-raising arm for Senate Democrats, for the 1987-1988 cycle. This would help him tap the network of national Democratic donors.

"Kerry's current wife, Teresa Heinz, calls the late 1980s his "gypsy period." For months at a time he had no fixed address and crashed instead with his daughters when Julia was away or with Julia's brother David."

[raccoonradio]

But look how J F'n K shut off, or cut down, his alimony to Julia...from above:

"Kerry and Thorne finalized their divorce in 1988... After Thorne requested an increase in alimony in 1995, Kerry sought an annulment of their marriage from the Catholic Church, a move observers saw as retaliatory. Kerry eventually received the annulment from the Boston diocese despite Thorne’s vehement objections." The marriage was formally annulled by the Roman Catholic Church in 1997.

Not sure if he was responsible to keep paying alimony after the marriage was annuled...

[DesignerChick]

Yes...I find him grotesque. How anyone could find him attractive is beyond me.

[Joe 6-pack]

"They say he was broke until he married Theresa Heinz."

I would argue that he will remain broke for the rest of his life, regardless of the size of his accounts.

[Steve Van Doorn]

”he was married before he was divorced?”

His marriage was annulled.

That means in John Kerry’s mind he was married before he wasn't married.

[AppyPappy]

The church annuled it, not the state.

[dead]

Yes...I find him grotesque. How anyone could find him attractive is beyond me.

Many find him quite attractive.

[fishtank]

Yes!

I knew MY little brain couldn't wrap itself around the nuance of John Forbes Thorne Gomez Ferrari Heinz.... or whatever else he calls himself....

Let's just call him "Dipstick".

[El Gato]

She's so pretty! She must have been blinded with love to marry that qhoul.

More likely blinded by left wing political fervor, which she, like other groupies, misinterpreted as love. JFnK of course was blinded by the dollar signs.

[raccoonradio]

ah---right.

[El Gato]

Not sure if he was responsible to keep paying alimony after the marriage was annuled...

Totally separate matters. The alimony would have stemmed from the civil divorce, the annulment is a matter of the Church's recognition of the marriage. Without the annulment, they were still married in the eyes of the Church, despite the civil divorce.

[fishtank]

Only for people who look for love on www.MeHarmony.com

[stockstrader]

Unfortunately, many women are 'blinded' by gigolos and professional con-artists (like John Kerry).

[peggybac]

"John Kerry was married before he wasn't married."

ROFLMAO!!

[raccoonradio]

Yup, but I wonder if he tried to get himself off of paying alimony by claiming "hey, the Church said my marriage never
really happened..." (Probably not but I'll bet the thought crossed his mind)

[Christian4Bush]

FIRST, thoughts and prayers to her family.

The question that may be heartless and,to use a recent term, "too soon", but must be asked, is that since her death was caused by a "cell"-related condition, how long will it take for the Left (be it a Democrat or Republican) to ramp up the language about stem-cell research, and to make it a campaign issue (again)?

Especially considering that Ms. Thorne was the wife of one of the most prominent Leftists in our government, and ran as such in his FAILED campaign for president?

[Steve Van Doorn]

don't make me sick. Kerry is most likely bald under that mop. They guy is such a fake.

[brazzaville]

Good morning.
"Kerry eventually received the annulment from the Boston diocese despite Thorne’s vehement objections." [41] The marriage was formally annulled by the Roman Catholic Church in 1997."

Does anyone know what grounds the Catholic Church used to decide that a marriage that they had confirmed, and that had produced children, didn't exist anymore?

Michael Frazier