Obituary of Patricia Thomas

A funeral service for Patricia Thomas, 83, formerly of Spirit Lake, will be held Thursday, March 14, 2019 at 11:00 AM at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Visitation will begin at 10:00AM at the funeral home. Patricia Ann Thomas, the daughter of Rubin C. White and Jewel Edna (Doyel) White was born September 11, 1936 in Marianna, Arkansas. After graduating from Marianna High School, Patricia attended Memphis State. On September 8, 1959, Patricia was married to Christopher Mark Thomas. While Patricia lived in Miami, she spent several years working for Eastern Airlines as a Flight Attendant and later as a reservations agent. After moving to Iowa in 1970, she served her community for several decades as a realtor in the Iowa Great Lakes region. In 2013, Patricia moved to Oregon to live with her daughter and family. Patricia loved her children and the children of Spirit Lake. She spent several years as a school bus driver making sure that children had a safe ride to school and back again. She often drove the bus to her children's events ensuring that she would get to attend their games and tried to attend as many of their events as possible. Patricia loved her flower and vegetable gardens. She spent her summers tending her gardens only to give much of it away to her cherished family, neighbors and friends. Sharing the fruits of her labor with others gave her great joy. She kept a sandbox and swing set in her backyard long after her grandchildren had outgrown them as she loved having the neighborhood kids come over to play. She often kept popsicles in the freezer for them so when they stopped by, they could have a treat. Patricia passed away February 28, 2019 at a care facility in Oregon. Patricia is survived by her four children, Sam (Doris) Thomas of Atlanta, Georgia, Mark Thomas of Atlanta, Georgia, Kim Solko (Bob) of Brookings, South Dakota and Tricia Larson (Ryan) of Albany Oregon; seven grandchildren, Megan Thomas, Paige Thomas, Jake Thomas, Kyle Hanson-Arenas (Ariel), Emilee Hanson, Jordan Hanson and Randy Larson; sister, Gwendolyn White of San Diego, and her nephew, Steven Wedeking II (Jamie). She was preceded in death by her parents, Rubin and Jewel White and her husband, Chris Thomas.