Lois E. Thomas (née Merchant), 89, passed away on April 16, 2020 after contracting COVID-19. She was born in Springfield, MA to Henry Merchant and Elinor (Jocelyn) Merchant, also of Springfield, MA. She graduated in the Class of 1947 from Technical High School and worked for a time at the Monsanto Company in Springfield. On March 31, 1951, she married the love of her life, Harold L. Thomas, Jr. also of Springfield, and now is re-united with him to continue their journey. They are both safely wrapped in the loving arms of Our Heavenly Father.
In 1953, Lois and Harold followed his parents to Miami, FL, where they raised five children. They were long time members of St Brendan Catholic Church and founding members of St. Agatha’s. When the children were older, Lois went to work at the cafeteria at Christopher Columbus High School, where all four of her sons graduated. She spent a total of 18 years at the high school, managing the cafeteria for most of that time. In 1989, after retiring, Lois and Harold moved to the Garden Grove Oaks community in Winter Haven, FL, where they enjoyed many happy years of friendship and fellowship.
Harold was her light and her life, and when he passed away in 2012, Lois moved to Austin, TX to be near family. In the final chapter of her life, she made new friends in new surroundings and always kept her wry sense of humor. Throughout her life, she was an avid reader and kept a thick notebook, listing the books she read. Friends and family will fondly remember the greeting cards she thoughtfully sent for every occasion.
Lois was preceded in death by her husband Harold, her parents, her sister Jean Small, and brother Donald Merchant. She leaves to cherish her memory: her children, Harold L. Thomas, III and wife Catherine of Ocala, FL, Keith A. Thomas and wife Jacquelyn of Lancaster, CA, Teresa M. Thomas and husband George McElvain II of Austin, TX, James C. Thomas and wife Toni, of North Augusta, SC, and Richard J. Thomas of Port St. Lucie, FL, 18 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, 2 great-great grandchildren, her sister-in-law Mrs. Lydia Whitcomb of Marlboro, MA, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
A funeral mass is tentatively scheduled for August 7th, at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Austin, TX, followed by inurnment at Cook-Walden Forest Oaks Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Disabled American Veterans, or the charity of your choice.
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