Frances Thomas

Frances Dalton Thomas, of Winston-Salem passed away peacefully, holding the hands of both of her daughters, after a period of declining health. She was born in Winston Salem and grew up on Lockland Avenue and Clover Street. She spoke fondly of walking across Hanes Park to Reynolds High School, graduating in 1951. She went on to “WC”, where she received a degree in Math Education in 1955. On September 3, 1955, she married Claude Benson Thomas, of Asheville, and they settled in Chapel Hill for “CB” to attend the University of North Carolina. She taught for several years in the Durham and Carrboro schools. Moves followed to Charlottesville, VA, Birmingham, AL, and Columbia, SC – with Frances spending many of those years at home raising her daughters. She was that terrific volunteer – always the “cookie mom” for Girl Scouts, coordinator of the marching band fruit sale, and neighborhood event organizer. She was an avid bridge player and bowler, and enjoyed reading, traveling, and working crossword and sudoku puzzles. She joined and was an active member of the Garden Club and Newcomer’s Club with each move. In the late 1980s, Frances returned to Winston Salem to care for her aging parents. Since the 1990s, she had been a very proud and supportive grandmother and Tresses hair salon groupie. A math teacher by trade (she ended her career at Spring Valley High School in SC) and widowed at age 50, she was a strong role model for her daughters, which made the onset of dementia especially hard to watch. Her last years were spent at Heritage Woods, tended to by a staff beyond compare. We are so grateful to each one of you for the wonderful care – a truly special place! A heartfelt thank you as well to our “band of angels” who sat with her near the end – Sharon, Sandra, Mitzi, Kay Ann, Kathi, Christine, and Beth. She is preceded in death by her husband, CB Thomas, and her parents, Mary and Herman Dalton. She is survived by her daughters, Karen Thomas Nickel (Rick), and Krissy Thomas (Ryan Milhous); and her three adored grandchildren, Molly Nickel Lawson (Will) “her first”, Dalton Nickel “her namesake”, and Ian Nickel “her TARHEEL”. A graveside service will be held at 11 AM on Saturday, November 6th, at Forsyth Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Trellis Supportive Care, or to a charity of your choice.