Betty Thomas

No man is poor who has a Godly mother.
Abraham Lincoln

Our Mother, Betty Thomas, passed away on Thursday, September 18, 2014. Her step into another world was made peaceful by the attentive stewards that served her well with full love and attentive care. We cannot thank them enough.

Betty Lataine Thomas was born on June 26, 1933 in Boyle, Mississippi. She lived much of her younger years in the Delta region of Mississippi in the land where the music of the blues began. By chance she lived near an Air Force Base in Greenville where she met our father, Jimmie E. Thomas who had been recently transferred there. They fell in love and were hopelessly devoted to each other for many, many years. They had two children, Joe and David, who fell under the high standards that they set for their kids. It was a challenge they lovingly embraced and worked to achieve.

It is hard to understand the life of a military wife, but our Mother was the real soldier of our family. This does not diminish the grand work of our Fathers lifeit merely complements it. Our Father served his country with a full measure of his devotion. Our Mother served her country and her family with that same devotion that is uniquely immeasurable. She traveled the world from Okinawa to New York to Japan to New Mexico and she made sure that we were comfortable with the travels and the major adjustments we had to make as innocent children. She never complained and in fact, presented our journeys as opportunities to expand our knowledge beyond the borders of a military base. She challenged us to leap from the pages of a textbook to live the culture that became a part of our temporary home.

Family was always front and center to our Mother. She always made arrangements to bring family together even though our travels made it difficult. Her efforts are branded into our memories and continue to serve us to this day. Her gracious personality welcomed everyone into her home and she believed in malice toward no one and charity for all. It sounds cliche, but it was imbedded in her heart and soul. She loved everyone and she loved life.

It is hard to condense a lifetime of achievements and experiences in a few lines of context. It falls short of what any Mother deserves. Rest assured that this effort is not worthy of what she meant to her sons, her daughterin law, and her grandchildren. But know, she was a Godly Mother to us and what we have become. She may have left us in the physical sense, but her spirit will reside in our hearts forever.

Godspeed, Miss Betty. We love you.

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