Rebecca Ramos Thomas

Rebecca Ramos Thomas, 94 died Monday, July 8 at a nursing home in Austin. Her body will be cremated and she will be buried in Abilene, next to her husband Gary Thomas, who died in 1999. Her family will hold a memorial service at a later date.

Mrs. Thomas was born in Olongapo, Philippines. She graduated from Mary Johnston College of Nursing and went to work as an RN at a hospital in Manila. But she soon responded to a call to serve alongside Methodist missionaries in a remote area of Mindanao. She left a paying job and the comforts of the city to work for free nearly 900 miles from home, using her training to help people who needed medical care.

“Jesus Christ wants me to go to Mindanao as a missionary,” she told her mother before leaving.

Her nursing career later led her to the United States where she worked at the Mayo Clinic and experienced a Minnesota winter before returning home to the Philippines. She began working in a U.S. Naval Clinic, where she met Gary, who would become her husband. She retired from nursing in after giving birth to her son John.

Friends and family knew her as Reby. Family members say she was the one who organized elaborate get-togethers that included talent show style performances. She understood the importance of shared music and joy to bring people together.

Rebecca had a deep love of music. She played piano masterfully and possessed an impressive soprano voice. She sang with church choirs and community chorus groups. She had an extensive music collection, ranging from classical music to pop songs to traditional hymns and folk songs. The love of music continued through her final days. She sang along with folk songs and hymns during a Swan Songs concert in June, and songs from her youth played in her room in the last hours of her life.

Survivors include her son, John Thomas and his wife Kathy Thomas of Austin as well as her grandson Andrew Thomas of Sherman.

Memorials may be sent to a favorite charity.