Mary Louise Thomas, 91, passed away March 12, 2017, surrounded by her loving family and dedicated Brookdale caregivers. She was born in Oklahoma City, May 10, 1925 and graduated Northeast High School. During WWII she served as base operations aircraft and dispatcher at Tinker Air Force Base. She graduated from OU with a BA in Business Admin in 1948, where she was a member of the Alpha Phi Sorority, later serving as President of the Oklahoma City Alpha Phi Alumna Chapter and President of House Board, Alpha Phi, 1956-1960. After graduating from OU she worked for Braniff Airlines and CR and Guy Anthony. She subsequently returned to the University of Central State and obtained her Masters of Education in 1973 and taught elementary school with OKC Public Schools until 1990 and her retirement. She later taught Adult Education, English as a Second Language and was able to help many immigrants to OKC integrate into the community.
Mary Louise was a lifetime member of First Presbyterian Church, OKC, and was baptized in the church September 13, 1925; she became a member of the congregation on October 20, 1946. On January 25, 1952, she and Arnett Thomas were married in this same church.
Mary Louise was a licensed pilot at the age of 19 and enjoyed many hours flying solo. She enjoyed gardening in her lovely yard, golfing, snow skiing, an avid knitter and produced many lovely needlepoint pieces enjoyed by family and friends. She loved her dogs and lastly, her sweet Missy. She was a dedicated and loving mother, mother-in-law, grandmother and great-grandmother. Her greatest joys and pleasures were her times spent with family, traveling to Mexico, Belize, Alaska, Northeast US, Hawaii, national and state parks in the West, and many summers spent after retirement with Susan and Pat in the Cortez, CO community and of course her many decades of devotion to First Presbyterian Church, OKC. She was a dedicated member and volunteer at her beloved First Presbyterian Church, serving in various capacities on numerous boards and committees, co-founded the church’s first pre-school in 1957 and was very active in Presbyterian Women’s Association. She was a loyal 30 year plus member of her teacher’s sorority, Kappa Kappa Iota and was awarded “Excellence in Reading” by the Oklahoma Reading Council. She served many years as a Docent at the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Mary Louise’s motto in life was service and she did so in her quiet, efficient, and unassuming way no matter what project she took on.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Arnett Thomas, daughter Nancy Louise Thomas, brother Paul W. James and parents, Trilla and Warren C. James. She is survived by her daughter Paula Grace and husband, Ron Grace, of OKC, daughter Susan Harden and husband, Pat Harden, of Panama, CA, grandson Geoff Baugh, Scotland, UK, granddaughter Lindsay Baugh and great-granddaughter, Atalisa Grindstaff, Denver, CO. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Peggy Thomas, Maurbourguet, France and many special nieces, nephews, cousins and their families.
We want to especially thank her Brookdale Family who assisted her transition the last two years of her life. Also, a big thank you to Frontier Hospice – both of whom Mother’s family could not have done without.
A Memorial Service in celebration of her life will be held Tuesday, March 21, 2017, at 11:00 am in the Chapel of First Presbyterian Church, 1001 NW 25th St., 25th and Western, Oklahoma City, OK. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Memorial Fund, First Presbyterian Church, Oklahoma City, or the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org.
Arrangements under the direction of Hahn-Cook/Street & Draper Funeral Directors, Oklahoma City, OK.
Partager l'avis de décès
v.1.9.6