Kathy Forrest Thomas

If there was ever a person who wanted to heal all the wrongs in the world, it was Kathy Forrest Thomas. She was an idealist who sought to bring joy to those around her, and she did so by doing the little things to let people know she cared. A letter. A card. A prayer. A kind gesture, however small. Those were the things that Kathy cherished in life, and the legacy that she leaves on each life she touched.

Kathy was born to Isaac and Joyce Johnson and raised in Hampton, Virginia. As a young girl, she was a supportive member of her family and was proud to be a Johnson. Throughout her life, she reminisced about childhood, recalling fond memories with her mother, brothers, and sisters during their life together on Hidalgo Drive in Hampton. Kathy was raised with five siblings. She had three older brothers, Robert (Bob), Danny (Joe), and David; and two older sisters, Juanita and Priscilla. It was a big family, but through good times and bad, Kathy recalled that the family always came together to show that they cared deeply for one another.

Kathy was always in pursuit of truth and faith, even as a child. Adaptable and grateful for each moment, she attributed much of her success to her faith in the Lord. She leaned strongly on the belief that through faith a person can find peace and strength. This foundation was born in her early days singing in church – a memory she spoke about often. Kathy was a strong defender of her faith, but never forced her convictions onto others. She sought to live by example. She was a member of various churches throughout her life, including Baptist, Pentecostal, and Assembly of God churches. During that time, she and her family would often perform gospel music for the congregation.

Kathy enjoyed learning and had a natural interest in gathering information. She had a flair for the poetic and was very expressive and articulate, especially when it came to her writing and music. She graduated from Kecoughtan High School in 1977, and immediately afterward started her family with the hopes of going to college one day. In her 30s, she discovered her interest in the medical field and she returned to school to pursue a degree in medical transcription from Craven Community College in New Bern, North Carolina. Blessed with a strong sense of integrity, Kathy was loyal and committed to her work and she loved her career and the constant sense of fulfillment it brought her.

Kathy was a gentle person who held deep feelings for her two children; her son, Eric and her daughter, Jessica. She instilled in her children the sense of wonderment she saw in the world, and she always encouraged them to follow their hearts when considering their goals. She always told them that anything was attainable if they set their minds to it, and she encouraged them to follow faith and intuition in their life paths, no matter what paths they chose. Eric carried on her love for music and medicine, and Jessica, her love of writing. Kathy was later blessed with four grandchildren, Taylor, Shane, Logan, and Andrue, who she also loved dearly.

Kathy was a tranquil and accepting person, and an authentic and devoted friend. She had an easygoing and open-minded approach to life, and she often voluntarily carried the weight of her friends’ struggles on her own shoulders. She was a thinker and a feeler. Kathy sought to achieve harmony with everyone and possessed the ability to mend conflicts even if it meant she must undergo her own interpersonal struggles. Kathy was the type that sought to always lend an open ear, an open heart, a place at the supper table for anyone, even if she wasn’t sure there was enough food. There was always enough love, and she relied on that to get by. Her friends, family, and neighbors knew that her door was always open to them.

Kathy enjoyed traveling and going away on vacations, even if they were just day trips. Her favorite vacations included driving to North Carolina's Outer Banks and taking pictures of lighthouses, riding on Eastern North Carolina ferry boats, trips to the mountains of North Carolina or Tennessee, a trip she took with her son to Luray Caverns in Virginia, and a trip she took to the Bahamas with her daughter.

Kathy was a lover of animals and cherished her pets like they were family. Kathy's most beloved pet was Winnie Pooh, aka “Pooh Dog,” a Weimaraner mix that she rescued from the pound. Wherever Kathy lived, she almost always had a pet cat around the house, and she liked naming them interesting and unique names. She would sign their names on birthday and Christmas cards just like they were members of the family.

Kathy’s motto was always to hope for the best and work toward that end, but be prepared for some of life's disappointments. This philosophy was a continual driving force in her life, but it did not extinguish the bright light that defined the dreamer in Kathy, something that was always there and that she readily shared with everyone around her. From the time she was old enough to walk, and big enough to talk, she loved music. She recorded numerous country songs in her 20s and later recorded a gospel album. She continuously wrote songs and poems throughout her life. Her other hobbies included watching old movies, taking pictures of lighthouses and other nature scenery, reading and studying her bible, and spending time with her family. She loved Pepsi Cola (with “bendy” straws) and was rarely seen without one. Her guitar was her most prized possession. She always had a notebook nearby to write in (usually two or three). She loved to laugh and aspired to make others laugh as well. She loved to sew creative outfits and hats for stuffed bunnies, bears, or pigs, and she would look at them long and hard before giving them names like Gertrude or Bertha. She often dreamed of one day opening a soup kitchen called “The Fortress” where hungry people from all around could be fed and learn about the Lord at the same time.

The simple things to Kathy were the most important of all – an unexpected smile, a baby’s chubby cheeks, a small yellow flower amid a sea of green, or watching the clouds part and marveling at the peculiar way the sun would shine through them. She always said that light shining down on earth meant someone was “going home.”

Kathy went home on March 22, 2010. She fought a long and brave battle against scleroderma and lupus, among other conditions. She is survived by her children, Eric Jones and Jessica Jones; her daughter-in-law Jessica; her husband of three years, John Thomas; her grandchildren Taylor, Shane, Logan, and Andrue Jones; her brother Danny (Joe) Johnson; and her sisters Juanita Hartmann and Priscilla Maston. Kathy's request was to have her ashes scattered at Bodie Lighthouse in the Outer Banks, NC. It was a place of beauty that she cherished and visited at every opportunity, and she could think of no better resting place on earth.

Kathy was someone who was able to see the world as a beautiful place, even through hardship. She was deeply committed to those she loved and she was a person who never let go of her dreams. It was her exceptional insight and quiet strength that became Kathy's trademark qualities for all who knew her, and those are just a few of the many reasons why every life Kathy Forrest Thomas touched loved her ... and will miss her dearly.

But she is just away.