Marcel Thienpont

Published 8:04 pm Thursday, January 7, 2016

Marcel Thienpont

Marcel Thienpont

Marcel Thienpont was born to François and Alice (nee Eeckelaert) Thienpont in Antwerp, Belgium and immigrated to the United States around the age of seven. He lived with his family in Manhattan, New York until he entered the Navy in 1942, where he served as a radio technician with the Sea Bees in the Philippines. After the war he returned to New York and married Helen May Smith, of Irvington, NY in November of 1947.

In 1948 they moved to Merrick, Long Island where they raised a family of four sons. Marcel worked for NBC television in New York City as an audio engineer assisting on many shows including Howdy Doody, Nightly News with Huntley Brinkley, Saturday Night Live, and the Johnny Carson show. During his tenure at NBC he won an Emmy award. He loved walking, photography and painting and proved to be a real artist. In 1983, Marcel retired from NBC, and he and Helen May moved to the Poconos. In the fall of 2015 the family helped them move to North Carolina where they would be closer to at least one of their sons.

Marcel is survived by Helen May, his wife of 68 years, and by his sons Donald, Russell, Charles and Brian, and by many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, and by his sister Amy Bell. May flights of angels lead Marcel into his eternal rest.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on Sunday, January 10, 2016 in the First Presbyterian Church in Washington. Friends may send online condolences by visiting www.jimmysawyerfdl.com. Jimmy D. Sawyer Funeral Director Licensee is serving the Thienpont family.