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Sunday, April 17, 2011

Wapella.com Mourns the Passing of Roberta Thomas


Anna RoBerta McCarthy Thomas, 94, of Heyworth passed away Friday (April 15, 2011) at LeRoy Manor, LeRoy.




Her funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Calvert-Belangee-Bruce Funeral Home, Heyworth. The Rev. Amanda Richards of the United Church of Heyworth will officiate. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday before the service at the funeral home. Burial will be in Oak Grove Cemetery, LeRoy.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the United Church of Heyworth, the Heyworth Public Library or to a charity of the donor’s choice.
RoBerta was born Jan. 8, 1917, in Saybrook to Harry and Pearl Wilhelm McCarthy and was married to Maxwell Thomas, who preceded her in death on July 12, 1997. She was also preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Pauline McCarthy.

Mrs. Thomas is survived by two cousins in Indiana; a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Kenneth and Mabel Adams of LeRoy; niece and nephew Karen Osolin and Myron Adams; and additional area nephews.

She graduated from Illinois State University and taught school for 36 years at LeRoy, Danville, and Wapella, and until 1990 substitute taught at Heyworth schools.

RoBerta was a member of the United Church of Heyworth, having served her church as an usher, as a delegate to BroMenn Hospital, as a trustee, as a Sunday school teacher in her younger years, and as a member of the church’s administrative board for more than 30 years and as its secretary for more than 25 years, closing in her twilight years as a church quilter once a week.

Mrs. Thomas had also been active as a member of the Heyworth Women’s Club and was a member of the Retired Teachers Association.

In 1963, she was elected as a member of the Heyworth Library Board, which she served as secretary from 1967 until she resigned in 1990, when she became vice president. She retired from the library board in May 2001 upon completion of her last term as vice president.

Mrs. Thomas was a well regarded member of the Wapella Community, and highly respected as a teacher and educational leader in the Wapella Schools System. Her professionalism and academic rigor, and general excellence are credits to our schools and valued by all the Wapella alumni who received instruction from Mrs. Thomas.

Our condolences to the Thomas family.

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