May L Thomas

May was born May 11, 1923 to August and Lucy Feuchter on the family farm in Mossville, IL, within yards of Mossville United Methodist Church, where she was an active member for 70 years, and also where she married Ivan Edward Thomas on October 17, 1948. They were blessed with 57 years of marriage. She was preceded in death by her husband Ivan, and her sister Margaret Hannah.

Left to mourn her passing are her children, Marilyn (Larry) Kauffman, Jeannie (Rick) Dorsey, Bob (Karen) Thomas, and Linda Thomas; grandchildren, Amanda (Dave) Voorhees, Justin (Katie) Kauffman, Angela Maye Kauffman, and Laura Dorsey; and great-grandchildren, Micah Voorhees, Sophia Maye Kauffman, Ezra Kauffman, Eleanor Kauffman, and August Kauffman, all of the Peoria area. Also surviving are many nieces and nephews.

May graduated from Woodruff High School and was a member of the first freshman class. After high school, she attended Business College in Peoria, which was a courageous step for this farm girl.

From 1942 to 1948, May worked at Black Hawk Bus Company in Peoria, where she made many lifelong friends. She worked there until her marriage to Ivan. After their marriage, May enjoyed many years of raising her family.

In 1966, May and Ivan co-founded A to Z Rental Center in Peoria, later to be known as American Rental Center. May felt honored to assist people in planning their life events and to be able to provide a Christian family atmosphere where many family members and friends could be employed.

May’s interests included: gardening and canning, enjoying God’s creation, cooking and baking for others (especially her famous chocolate chip cookies), time with family, singing, and her children. She taught her children by example to listen for each bird call, notice each flower and special rock, observe the moon and stars, and revel in the changes of the seasons.

May shared her deep faith in Jesus and love for God with her family and with many others who crossed her path. She will be remembered for her concerns for and interest in all she came in contact with.

May’s family would like to thank her incredible, loving caregivers who made the last few years of her life so pleasant, and cared for her with such love and compassion. You have become like members of the family.

Private funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 5, 2021, with burial at Springdale Cemetery. There will be a celebration of May’s life at Mossville United Methodist Church beginning at 3:30 PM on Saturday, June 5, 2021.

Memorials may be made to Mossville United Methodist Church or UnityPoint Hospice.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Davison-Fulton-Woolsey-Wilton Funeral Home and online condolences may be left at www.woolsey-wilton.com.