Virginia W. Thomas
Services for Virginia W. Thomas, a Sitka resident for nearly 60 years, will be held 1 p.m. Saturday, July 10, at the Salvation Army.
Virginia died June 30 in Sitka. She was 80.
She was born Oct. 21, 1940, in Kake, the daughter of Marion Paul and John Smith.
She married Franklin Thomas on June 23, 1957, in Petersburg, and they came to Sitka in 1962. Here she worked in housekeeping for Sitka Community Hospital and SEARHC.
After her children were older she went back to school and earned her GED.
Among her pleasures were reading her Bible, taking walks, having picnics, taking the ferry to Juneau, and going on car rides. In her younger years she was involved in Alaska Native Sisterhood and the SEARHC Community Board.
“Virginia was a grandma to everyone and displayed her love through her storytelling with a witty sense of humor and with words of wisdom that will resonate with and be passed on by those who had the privilege of getting to know her and her strong-spirited nature and her loyalty and unconditional love. Her legacy will carry on in the hearts of us all,” her family wrote.
“She liked to stay hip to current trends and lingo in order to stay connected to the younger generation. She was the light of our lives and the glue that held us together,” the family said. “Her love and laughter will be missed greatly but cherished dearly. May her spirit dance in our hearts forever.”
Virginia was preceded in death by her sons, Frank Thomas Jr., Eddie Thomas and Danny Thomas, and by her daughter Marlene Jones.
She is survived by her husband, Franklin Thomas, of Sitka; her son David Thomas, Sitka; and daughter Millie Thomas, Ketchikan; granddaughters Gena Johnson and Tina Newton of Sitka and Amanda Jones of Durango, Colorado; and grandson Scott Thomas of Sitka.
Also surviving are her brother, Joe Smith of San Francisco, California; brother-in-law Joe Thomas and his wife Gini Lynn of Saxman; and sister-in-law Rosemary Thomas, of Sitka.
