Martha Mae Thomas

Born in a shanty in Gracemont, near Hinton, OK, Martha grew in curiosity, energy, and passion for learning and teaching – traits which never left her. Her mother, Lula May [Thomas] Boling, initially taught in one room schoolhouses and took Martha with her from the age of three where she quickly learned her letters and numbers. Her father, John Lawrence Boling, was a welder for the Rock Island Railroad, and built ships and bridges from CA to South America. Martha spent her childhood summers on Aunt Della and Uncle Mac Boling’s farm in Hinton, OK, and spent elementary school years in El Reno, OK. Her youth was spent in Alvin, TX, where, as a student at Alvin High School, she won the Yellow Rose of TX award and proved herself to be not only a beauty, but a fine student. She graduated high school a year early in 1955 and attended Alvin Junior College earning her associate degree in 1956.

She went on to Abilene Christian University in TX where she earned her BA in History with minors in English, Education and Psychology in 1958, and met her husband for life, Robert Harold “Bob” Thomas. Martha earned her Masters in English with a minor in Speech at Pepperdine University in 1981. She completed coursework for her Doctorate of Education in Institutional Management completing all but her dissertation at Pepperdine University School of Education and Psychology 1991-2001. She taught History and English and Theatre courses for middle schools and high schools in Arizona, TX, Nebraska, CA and Montana. She taught university level Theatre, English and Literature courses in Wyoming, CA and CO. Martha was an avid C.S. Lewis scholar. She was a master teacher of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. She was gifted at drawing her students out, affirming them, and empowering them and they adored her. While at Pepperdine University as a Professor of English she administrated and taught in the Summer Bridge Program assisting at-risk first year students to excel in their entry to university studies. She was a faculty mentor and professor in international studies programs which took her for semesters abroad to Heidelberg, Germany and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Martha and her husband, Bob, passionately traveled the world together (Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Argentina, Mexico, Norway and HI). Their work took them to twelve states (OK, TX, AZ, ID, NY, NE, AR, CA, MT, WY, CO and VA). In her life she wrote poetry, “be-bopped”, acted, directed, rode zip lines, para sailed, white water rafted, drove cattle, gelded calves and read hundreds of pages of books aloud to her children and grandchildren. She read thousands and thousands of pages of her students’ writings.

Physically, Martha survived a terrible fall in her thirties which left her with a life of severe lumbar pain for the rest of her life. She was also a breast cancer survivor. These sufferings empowered her to compassionately minister to and encourage others facing cancer diagnoses and difficult illnesses in their lives.

Martha was a life-long member of The Church of Christ. She loved Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father, was an avid student and teacher of the Word, and she, a warm gregarious extrovert, loved people. Those she encountered knew that she saw them and cared for them. Her life-long Christian relationships and leadership crossed denominational and secular setting boundaries. She often said she was more comfortable ministering to the world than to the church. She was a faithful servant. She dedicated much of her life to Christan Higher Education: she taught at Magic Valley Christian College in ID, served at York College in Nebraska as a student mentor and faculty and basketball coach’s wife, and taught and administrated for many years at Pepperdine University in CA. For six summers in her early married life, Martha was camp nurse at Camp Hunt in Hubbardsville, NY, a summer Church camp for upstate inner city children. She was an active member of the Black/White Encounter Group in Watts Los Angeles, CA where she made a powerful impact on her largely segregated Christian community and forwarded values of unconditional acceptance and modeled fearless and generous inclusion. Her passion for racial justice drove much of her work and teaching in her life. Martha keynoted at many women’s Church conferences, taught at youth rallies, spoke at lectureships, mentored many young women and parents in the faith, and taught Christian literature and Bible classes throughout her life. Martha was especially gifted in her later life in her interaction with babies and toddlers who adored her.

She had an infectious laugh, loved to sing, and tell stories. She was fiercely competitive, opinionated, had a hot temper, and a wicked sense of humor, and she was quick to apologize and a little slower to forgive. She served justice, and was honest - even about the hard things.

Martha is survived by her husband of 67 years, Robert Harold Thomas, whom she married on June 6, 1958. She is also survived by: her children, Cathy Lu Thomas-Grant of Malibu, CA, Melody Ann Zobel and husband Christopher William Zobel of Blacksburg, Virginia, and Brad Boling Thomas and wife Margaret Ann Thomas of Grand Junction, CO: her grandchildren, Michael John Thomas-Visgar and wife Alison Marie Thomas-Visgar of Charlotte, NC, Hannah Marie Thomas of Boston, Massachusetts, Benjamin James Thomas and Rachel Elizabeth DeWeber of Grand Junction, CO, and Joseph Alexander Zobel of Blacksburg, Virginia: her great grandchildren, Indiana “Indy” Mae Thomas-Visgar of Charlotte, NC, and Enya Ryan Thomas of Grand Junction, CO: her foster son, Russel Brown of Olympia, WA, and foster daughter, Ellen Schneider of Monroe, LA. She is preceded in death by her mother, Lula Mae Boling and her father, John Lawrence Boling, and by her sister Jonny Lou Trotti and her brother-in-law David Lawrence Trotti all from Morven, NC. She is also survived by her sister’s children, Davy Lou Trotti and John Charles Trotti of Morven, NC and Paul Lawrence Trotti of Fargo, North Dakota.

Martha is also survived by many wonderful in-laws including Don Thomas, Rosemary Farmer, Ted and Jane Anne Thomas, and Elaine and John Harris, and she leaves behind a myriad of nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews from the Thomas side. She was specially connected to the youngest Harris children, Julie, Amy, Robbie, and Mark. In recent years Mark and his wife, Caitlin from Palisade, CO have been a special light as they have shared their precious Goldie with Martha on many occasions. There was nothing like a child to light Mae up. She would be heart broken to miss bonding with Indy and Enya whom she would adore.

Martha was an undeniable force in this world. Everything she did, she did with passion and fierce conviction. Her recent years-long battle with dementia was very difficult for her and for her loved ones. She was deeply loved. And she will be missed.

Martha and her family offer their deepest gratitude to Gail Guntherson, her dear consistent companion, caregiver and friend, for the past 6 years, and to Aspen Ridge Alzheimer’s Special Care Center, Senior Daybreak Daycare of Grand Junction, Hope West Hospice Care Center, and to the Patterson Road Church of Christ without whose kind and compassionate support Martha would not have lived out her days with dignity and intimate community.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family requests to honor Martha by contributing to a children’s charity of your choice.