Patsy Ann (McRae) Thomas

Patsy Ann Thomas

April 22, 1936 – June 15, 2023

Patsy Ann Thomas, 87, passed away Thursday, June 15, 2023, at her home in Saint David, Arizona. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, June 27, 2023, at 10 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 640 West Patton Street, Saint David, Arizona. Patsy was born April 22,1936, at the Bisbee, Arizona, Copper Queen Hospital. She was the second of four daughters born to Jack Sevey McRae and Flora Martineau McRae. Patsy grew up during the depression and WWII. She was taught to waste not, want not and to appreciate the basics of life. Patsy attended school at Lowell Elementary in Bisbee. In 1948, at the age of 12, her family moved to Saint David, where her parents built their first home. To supplement the family income, her parents opened a diner inside their home. Patsy worked in the diner washing dishes and waiting tables until her teenage years, when a young Soldier from Mississippi, came in for a bite to eat and swept her off her feet. Patsy and Truman Thomas were married February 23, 1953, in Saint David, Arizona. Shortly after being married, Truman was hired by the El Paso Natural Gas Company and for the next 32 years they lived at numerous natural gas plants in New Mexico and Arizona. During this time Patsy became a Licensed Practical Nurse and later a Registered Nurse working in Benson, Willcox, and as a school nurse at Tombstone Schools. After Truman’s retirement in 1982, Patsy and Truman began helping her brother-in-law, Leon Goldberg, manage a 2,400-acre farm in San Simon, Arizona. The farm was known as the LVI Farm and produced cotton, wheat, tomatoes, and a variety of chilies. The LVI Farm was a great distraction for Patsy and Truman, after losing their 10-year-old son Breau in a drowning accident. The LVI farm provided many jobs and was a place loved by grandchildren and nephews during summers and holidays. After nearly 20 years of managing the LVI Farm, Patsy and Truman returned to Saint David where she worked as a school nurse at Saint David Schools for ten years until her retirement. Patsy is preceded in death by her husband Truman Marion Thomas, son Breau Darrell Thomas, and sisters Shirley Kim McRae Sherman, and Jacquelyn Mae McRae Goldberg. Surviving are her children Terrie (Dan) Gibson, Sherri Ann Thomas, David Allen Thomas, and her sister Marilyn Rae McRae. Patsy also leaves behind seven grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.   

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