Funeral On Saturday For Canton Teen Killed In Crash

CANTON, GA -- The funeral for the teenager who died Monday in vehicle crash in east Cherokee County will be laid to rest on Saturday.

The service for Mahlon Edward Thornton, 16, will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 24 at West Cobb Funeral Home in Marietta.

Mahlon was the passenger inside a Dodge Ram pickup truck when the vehicle left the roadway, rolled down an embankment and struck a tree on Hightower Road just east of Lower Creighton Road, the Cherokee Sheriff's Office previously told Patch.

The driver of the truck, 17-year-old Cameron Childers of Canton, was injured in the crash and later released from the hospital. Both teens were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the fatal collision, the sheriff's office notes.

According to his obituary, Mahlon, affectionately known as "Monkey," was a rising senior at Creekview High School, and was employed with Queenie's Southern Restaurant in Canton and Georgia Lawn.

Mahlon also was a competitive cheerleader with Stingrays, a competitive gymnast with Paulding Gymnastics and enjoyed fishing and being outdoors. He is survived by parents, Wayne and Jenelle Thornton of Marietta; sister, Brooke Vann of Woodstock; maternal grandfather, Paul Potts of Dallas; paternal grandmother, Jean Thornton of Cumming; several aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews; girlfriend, Katie Whidby; and extended family members, Cynthia and Drew Decker and Chase and Rainey Richards.

Cherokee Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. Marianne Kelley said the accident remains under investigation.

Image via West Cobb Funeral Home