Christine Thomas, 73, of Rockford, Illinois passed away on March 1, 2022. She was born in Loachapoka, Alabama on June 7, 1948 to Wes and Mattie Lou (Humphery) Thomas. Christine left home at 17 years old and moved to Iowa for job corp for 2.5 years where she studied early childhood education. In 1967 Christine moved to Rockford and worked in child care until retiring after 36 years in 2003. She was a long time member of New Zion church. She was happiest spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Christine loved taking them to the library, park, and Discovery Center. She will be greatly missed by all that knew and loved her.
Christine is survived by her children, Charlotte (Tanya Griggs) Thomas and Jason E. Thomas; her grandchildren, Sasha (Charles) Smith, Dennis (Samantha) Smith, Jemeil (Regine) King and Tori King; her great grandchildren, Nevaeh, Natasha, Adonis, Titan, Ramilah, Nathaniel, Ameilia and Charlei; her siblings, Mary Holland of Ohio, Annie Lee (Solomon) Pitts, Joseph (San) Thomas, Silas Thomas, Eddie James Thomas, Gwendolyn James all of Alabama, and Joe (Carolyn) Thomas of Atlanta, Georgia; her brother-in-law, Robert Brown of Ohio; close family friends, Flossie Pickens and family, Billy Crawford, Minnie Mannery Family and Jean Herron plus a host of grandchildren, great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, Wes and Mattie Lou; her siblings, Dorothy Brown, Ella Mae (Henry) Yancy, Isaiah Thomas, Nathaniel Thomas, Paul Thomas, Wesley John Thomas and Jacob Thomas.
Funeral Service for Christine will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 with Reverend Wyland Parks officiating at Sunset Funeral Home, 8800 N. Alpine Rd., Machesney Park, IL 61115. Visitation starts at 1:00 p.m. until time of service. Cremation rights will be accorded.
“It’s A Blessing to Live to see my age”
My grandmother would always say, “It’s a blessing to live to see my age.”
All my life this is all I’ve heard. As a teenager she would try to warn me of the evils of the world and the trouble and even death it could bring. Me, being just like any other teenager I would listen but I really wasn’t and at the end of her lecture would be “it’s a blessing to live to see my age.” Even with her many lectures I still didn’t grasp the graveness of what she was telling me.
As a young adult when it felt like she was trying to still control me and run my household we would get in arguments and I would say “let me live my life, what you want me to do stay in the house and be an old lady.” and she would say, “It’s a blessing to live to see my age.” You know as younger adults we still think we know it all so I still wasn’t listening.
Now that I’m in my 30’s and are losing those around me that I grew up with, went to school with and even fell in love with; believing we had so much time to live the lives we had planned. I finally see and understand the severity of what my grandmother was trying to tell me all these years.
“It’s a blessing to live to see her age.”
~Sasha Smith
To moma,
I am truly going to miss you. Our trips to Walmart, eating, bus rides, our talks about putting my trust in God. Me listening to you talk, your voice helped me a lot. You will always have a place in my heart.
Love you,
Tanya
My grandmother was such a blessing to all of those around her. She was an amazing, caring, kind person. Being around children was of such importance to her, whether it was her great grand children or my classmates.
I remember being in school and her coming to sit the entire day with me, but while there also making sure other kids were giving respect to the teacher.
Whenever I’d go for a sleepover at someone’s house, she sent a bag full of snacks because she didn’t want to burden anyone else, that’s just who she was.
When she got her first great grand baby, Nevaeh, she spoiled her rotten. Always buying her something or just attached at the hip.
Then my son came along and he got the same treatment. He loved having those baby snacks and would act a fool in K-Mart if we went by that aisle, so she’d open them right up and let him eat them right there in the store. As he got older, she’d give him milk “to calm him down” and he used to ask for it at home, cuz his Big Ma gave it to him.
She didn’t care if the great grands had already eaten, she’d still make you go through that McDonald’s drive through to get them a little something to eat.
Her great grandchildren were her pride and joy and she would do anything for them.
She was a Gemini through and through, you’d get into it with her but then she’d tell you she had gas money for you for taking her somewhere. And no matter how bad you got into it with her, she was always there when you needed her.
There’s so many things I’ll miss and cherish. Sunday’s walking down the hill to get donuts from Roma Bakery. Or her telling me and my brothers on that Saturday night before church that she doesn’t care how late we stay up, we were still going to church. Then she would leave and send the church bus back to get us. Or pouring water on us to wake us up.
She is a piece of my heart and the things she taught me I am instilling in my kids. Whether I like it or not, the lessons she taught me have shaped me into the man I am today and I am forever grateful.
Dennis Smith
