Gail E. Thomas

Gail (Deyo) Thomas, 58 of Troy, was born on August 30, 1962 to Kathleen (Kathan) and Robert Deyo of Keene, NH. She has three siblings: Carol Deyo, Laura (Deyo) Dunn, and David Hall. She graduated from Keene High School in 1980 and pursued her love of nursing. She graduated from Thompson School for Practical Nurses in 1983, NH Technical Institute with an associates in nursing in 1986, and UNH with a BS in nursing in 2002.

Her career of nursing started at Monadnock Nursing Home where she met the love of her life James W. Thomas. They married September 7, 1985 and have two children: Mary and Jessica. She is a proud mother and grandmother. She has two grandsons from Mary and Churk Leung: Caleb and Cillian, whom she loved to spend time with. She also has a grandogger Ella, whom she loved to go on adventures with.

Gail was known for her infectious smile, unflappable manor, and kindness towards others. She loved to help make people feel better and did so through a commitment to the community. She worked at Cheshire Hospital for 34 years as a nurse in various departments and roles. She volunteered for many years on Troy Ambulance and Fitzwilliam Fire Department as an EMT and firefighter. She brought a sense of calm and caring to those in distress.

When her daughters were young, she enjoyed volunteering at Troy Elementary School to read with students or attend field trips. She also was a Girl Scout Troop leader and participated in many camping excursions. After the girls grew up, she had fun participating in the Penguin Plunge with her coworkers. She found joy in serving others.

Gail had many hobbies including beekeeping, sewing, quilting, xc skiing, spinning, and knitting. She enjoyed her time with the Fitzwilliam spinning group. She was an avid hiker and proudly completed all 48 of NH’s 4,000 foot mountains. She loved to travel and embraced adventure with a joyful spirit.

After a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer, Gail passed away on January 26, 2021 in her home with her husband and daughters by her side. Thank you to the Home Health Care team, especially Nurse Michael and thank you Nurse Jaclyn from Hospice for your diligent care with end of life.

Due to COVID 19 we will not be having any services or calling hours at this time.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Penguin Plunge NH Special Olympics, c/o Andy Bohannon, Keene Parks and Rec. Dept., 312 Washington Street, Keene, NH 03431 (sonh.org); or Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation (oif.org/donations/), PO Box 824061, Philadelphia, PA 19182-4061. If donating online and you would like the gift acknowledged by the family, please include jmthomas603@gmail.com.