Obituary for Mary Thomas
Mary Alice (Callery) Thomas of Pekin passed away peacefully, following a short battle with colon cancer, at home on Sunday December 18, 2011 in the presence of her family. She was born September 29, 1925, in Edelstein, IL to Raymond & Mary Agnes (Welsh) Callery. She married Robert S. Thomas on Aug. 30, 1947, at St. Mary’s of the Woods Catholic church in Princeville, IL. He preceded her in death July 18, 2010. Surviving are her 4 children: Kathleen Thomas of Pekin, IL; Michael (Ivy) Thomas of Columbus, MS; Robert (Melody) Thomas of Rochester, IL; and Karol (Gregory) Clapper of Bloomington, IL. A brother & sister also survive: John Callery of Raleigh, NC & Winifred (James) Sipchen of Glenview, IL, along with 2 sisters-in-law Mary Ellen Herget of Aurora, IL & Anne Callery of Mt. Pleasant, SC. She was preceded in death by a brother, Robert Callery, Lisle, IL, in October 1985. Also surviving are 7 beautiful grandchildren: Amanda (Shaun) Castillo of Conroe, TX, Jamie (John) Morris of Evanston, IL, Rebecca (Jeff) Ferguson of Spring, TX, Kara Thomas of Springfield, IL, Brian (Danielle) Clapper of Park Ridge, IL, Cal (Carly) Thomas of Chatham, IL & Staci (Ryan) Oakes of Milwaukee, WI. Additional survivors are 11 fantastic great-grandchildren: Logan, Ryan, Thomas, Samantha, Corey, Charles, Boden, Payton, Carson, Claire & Kyle. She is also survived by 7 nephews and 8 nieces. She graduated from Illinois State Normal University in 1947. She was a substitute teacher and then a Business teacher at Pekin Community High School for 20 years, retiring in 1990. She was a member of Tazewell County Retired Teachers and a former member of Pekin Hospital League, a Women’s League golfer at Sunset Hills Country Club and attended St. Joseph’s Catholic Church of Pekin. She loved to read and do needlepoint. The family would like to express appreciation & love to her many friends, especially Marge, Dan & Pam and Nick & Sharon. Gratitude is also extended to the staff of OSF Hospice, especially Deb & to the staff of Kyle’s In-Home Care. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Tazewell County Retired Teachers (c/o Kay Toland, 318 N. Church St. Green Valley, IL, 61534) or Illinois Cancer Care - Pekin Clinic (603 S. 13th St., Pekin, IL, 61554.) Visitation from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. will be followed by a Mass at 11:00 a.m. celebrating her life at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Pekin, on Thursday December 22, 2011. Father Jim Pankiewicz will officiate. Cremation will be accorded following the service.
Read More
To plant a tree in memory of Mary Thomas, visit the Tribute Store.
Loading...