Shirley June Thomas

Shirley June (Sayler) Smith Thomas, resident of Bloomington died 2/4 /2016. She was born July 6, 1926 in Gilman, Illinois, daughter of Wallace H. and Miriam (Humphrey) Sayler. Visitation will be on Saturday 2/6 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Grace Church in Normal with a service immediately following. Burial will be at Gilman District Cemetery following a luncheon.

June married Sidney E. Smith June 1, 1947 and they settled in Pontiac. They had four children: Craig E. Smith (Bloomington, IL), Catherine J. Smith (Greenville, SC), Deborah A. Solberg (1954-2013), Mark A. (Linda) Smith (Pontiac, IL.) Surviving are six grandchildren: Heather Smith Coe, Callyn Smith, Conner Smith, Trent Smith, Jessica (Sunny) Desai and Lindsay Solberg. Other survivors include her two sisters in law: Carolyn (James) Sayler and Mary Lou (Roger) Sayler Constantine as well as nephews, nieces and cousins.

June graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Music Education. She used her talent by directing and singing in the Pontiac Methodist Church choir and was often sought out as a soloist. Never one to be idle, she found pleasure in a variety of activities and areas of service. She served as president of both the St. James Hospital Auxiliary and Dialectic Literary Society. She was also Regent for the Chief Pontiac Chapter of the D.A.R.. She enjoyed bridge, reading and golf.

June moved to Columbus, Ohio in 1977 where she began a successful career as district manager and owner-dealer for Utah Tailoring Corporation for Ohio and W. VA. She served on the board of directors until she retired in 1994. While in Ohio, she married

R. Jack Thomas in 1985. Surviving are four step daughters: Vicky (Dr. Igbal) Choudhry,

Cathy (David) Stamman, Deborah (Tim) Padgett and Pamela (Daniel) Malkowski.

The family wishes to express their gratitude to the staff of Sugar Creek for the loving and excellent care provided to their mother. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to Grace Church, 1311 W. Hovey Ave., Normal, IL 61761 or to the D.A.R., www.dar.org.

Ecclesiastes 7:2 “It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.”