Anne Marie Thomas

Anne Marie Kerin Thomas, 92, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully surrounded by her children on January 30, 2023. Anne was born on June 20, 1930, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, to Paul Aloysius Kerin and Mary Elizabeth Kerin. When she was six years old, Anne moved to Dallas, Texas, with her family where she lived the rest of her life. She graduated from Ursuline Academy in 1946 at age sixteen. She went on to attend Southern Methodist University where she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority and graduated with a degree in Elementary Education in 1950. She began her career as a first-grade teacher in Dallas at Christ the King grade school. In 1952, she met Owen Edward Thomas, the love of her life, and they were engaged six months later. They were married on June 20, 1953 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church. A year later, Ed and Anne began to build the legacy of their family with the birth of their first child. Anne always wanted a large family and had eight children over the next fourteen years.

Anne was a devoted wife and mother, and a devout Catholic. She was a strong role model to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She stayed home to raise her family of ten and take care of the many needs of her children. She created many family traditions around birthdays, holidays, family outings and vacations. She instilled in each of her children the importance of staying close as a family, her love of reading and the importance of giving back by supporting organizations such as St. Vincent de Paul. She went back to work part-time in 1978 to teach children with dyslexia and later taught kindergarten and first grade full-time until she retired from teaching in 1992. Anne was a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Church for over 65 years and her family was a founding family of the parish. She was active in the St. Thomas Aquinas Altar Society and stayed very active with Ursuline Academy, serving as the Ursuline Alumnae Board President in 1974, the year of its Centennial celebration.

Anne is preceded in death by her husband, Owen Edward Thomas, her parents, Mary and Paul Kerin, her stepmother, Mary Louise Kerin, her brother, James Kerin, and her daughters, Mary Anne Thomas and Teresa Anne Thomas. She is survived by her son Paul Thomas, wife Ruth, grandchildren Jennifer Brandt (Chris), Michelle Richardson (Michael); son Ed Thomas, wife Barbara, grandchildren, Michael Thomas (Carolyn), Sarah Dufek (Alex), Will Thomas; daughter Linda White, grandchildren Matthew (Brandi), Amanda; daughter Jean Buys, husband Joel, grandchildren Jarrod, Jillian Bates (Justin), Jenna, Julianna; son Jim Thomas, wife Sarah, grandchildren Annemarie, James, Julia; daughter Carolyn Murray, husband Lee, grandchildren Ryan, Katie; and seven great-grandchildren Grace Ann Thomas, Grace Brandt, Abigail Brandt, Nathan Richardson, Luke Richardson, Louise Dufek, and Baby Bates due February 22, 2023.

She will forever be remembered for her sweet nature, her selflessness and the wonderful legacy of love and kindness that she demonstrated which will be carried on by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

We would like to thank Cynthia Anim-Opare and all of our mother’s caregivers for their love, care and companionship of our mother for the past seven years.

The Rosary will be prayed on February 6th at 1:30 pm at Sparkman Hillcrest Funeral Home, 7405 W. Northwest Highway, after which a visitation will be held for family and friends from 2:00 - 3:30 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 6306 Kenwood, Dallas, at 12:00 noon on February 7th, with a reception to follow. A private family interment will take place at Greenwood Cemetery in Ft. Worth.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Scholarship fund at Ursuline Academy, the Endowment Fund at St. Thomas Aquinas School or the St. Vincent de Paul Society.