Bernd Thonemann
| Name: | Bernhard Alfons Thonemann (called Bernd) |
| Date / place of birth: | 12 April 1916 in Löningen |
| Date / place of death: | 21 May 2003 in Cloppenburg |
| At home in: | D – 49661 Cloppenburg |
| Marital status: | was married to Annemarie Steffen |
| Children: | Wiltrud, born 13 November 1942 Cornelia, born 3 March 1945 Harald, born 19 June 1946 Martin, born 20 July 1953 |
| 1922 – 1931 | Elementary school and secondary school in Löningen |
| 1931 – 1935 | State secondary school with scientific bias Cloppenburg School |
| leaving certificate: matriculation standard | |
| 1937 – 1941 | Geodesy studies at the University of Bonn and the College for Advanced Technology in Hanover |
| Qualification: Degree in Engineering | |
| 1941 – 1947 | Training time in Osnabrück, Bersenbrück, Cloppenburg, Hanover and Münster (with considerable interruptions due to military service) |
| 1948 | State examination at the examination board in Bielefeld |
| 1935 – 1937 | Military service in Verden / Aller (horse artillery) |
| 1939 – 1945 | War service on the west, east and home fronts, finally as a captain and unit commander (artillery) |
| 1947 – 1981 | Employed at the land registry offices in Bersenbrück, Cloppenburg, Braunschweig, Vechta and with Ellfort, officially appointed surveyors, in Ankum |
| 1959 – 1981 | Head of the land registry office in Cloppenburg; also Head of the Friesoythe land registry office (from 1972 to 1973, then the office was dissolved) |
| 1949 | Regional surveying assistant |
| 1954 | Regional surveying councillor |
| 1965 | Head surveying councillor |
| 1973 | Director of surveying |
Political, honorary activities
| 1972 – 1991 | Cloppenburg Town councillor |
| 1976 – 1991 | Mayor of Cloppenburg |
| 1976 – 1993 | Deputy chairman of the supervisory board of the cooperative house-building society for the district of Cloppenburg |
| 1970 – 1978 | Member of the working group of adult education of the CDU parliamentary party in Hanover |
| 1986 – 1992 | Member of the Executive of the Lower Saxony Conference of Cities in Hanover |
Awards and Honours
| 1976 | Appointment as a knight of the order of Saint Sylvester by Pope Paul VI |
| 1987 | Award of the Distinguished Service Cross, first class, of the Lower Saxony order of merit by Minister President Dr. Albrecht |
| 1991 | Award of the “Distinguished Service Cross of Lower Saxony” by Minister President Schröder |
| 1991 | Honoured with a “commemorative publication for Bernd Thonemann” in Hanover on the occasion of his retirement as state chairman of the Catholic adult education (KEB) in the state of Lower Saxony |
| 1991 | Award of the honorary title “Ex-mayor” |
| 1993 | Freedom of the town conferred |