Kathryn Pauline Thomas, age 85, died peacefully in her home on May 1, 2021. Mrs. Thomas, a retired Marshall Public Schools elementary school teacher, passed in the calm assurance of her passage to heaven to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Visitation and funeral services will be held at Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home in Marshall on Wednesday, MAY 12, 2021. Visitation will be open from 1 to 2 p.m. Funeral services will begin at 2 p.m. and burial will follow at Ridge Park Cemetery in Marshall. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Southside Assembly of God. Friends may sign the online register book at www.campbell-lewis.com
She leaves behind two children—Michael Ray Thomas of Marshall, Mo. and Alesia Thomas Thayer of Shelbyville, Ky. She also leaves an eternal legacy of eight grandchildren: Jennifer Thomas Doss of Marshall, Mo., Devin Brooks Thayer of Louisville, Ky., John Michael Thomas, of Columbia, Mo., Dustin James Thayer, of LaGrange, Ky., Connor Seth Thomas, of Marshall, Ryan Denton Thayer, of St. Petersburg, Fla., Jared Alexander Thayer of Shelbyville, Ky., and Cody Lee Thayer, of Amarillo, Tx. Mrs. Thomas also has nine great-grandchildren: Alexis, Luke, Tenley and Ivy Jane Thayer, Skylar, Chloe, Crissa, Chase and Jayce Doss, and one great-great-granddaughter, Addyson Doss.
Kathryn Pauline Billingsley was born on August 22, 1935 in Violet Hill, Ark. The daughter of Ray and Zelma Billingsley, Pauline was reared on a simple Arkansas farmstead with four sisters and one brother. She is survived by three sisters, Norma Rhae Mitchell and Barbara Janette Bramlett of Overland Park, Kansas, and Betty Jo Thompson of Fremont, California. Her brother, Gregory Roger Billingsley, lives in Shackelford, Missouri. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews.
Pauline was preceded in death by her beloved husband, John Paul Thomas, whom she met when he became a young high school science teacher at Violet Hill, Ark. They were married in Melbourne, Ark. on May 30, 1953. Before John passed away, John and Pauline celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in May 2018. They were lifelong sweethearts and best friends, and we rejoice that they are once again together in heaven.
As a young girl, Pauline attended school in Violet Hill, Ark. and Yakima, Wash. She was reared milking cows, working in cotton fields in Arkansas and travelling yearly to the agricultural fields of Washington state where her family labored as migrant workers. At age nine, she was the primary cook for her family as they worked in the fields. She carried that love for cooking through the years and hosted countless Thanksgiving and holiday dinners for her large extended family.
Pauline’s early education experience was transient and difficult. She was uprooted yearly and barely hoped to finish high school. Her dream, however, was to graduate from college. In 1968, she followed her lifelong goal to attend college and graduated with honors from Marshalltown, Iowa Community College. She received her diploma in the same month that her husband received his PhD. But her dream to go to college was just beginning. In 1970, she graduated cum laude with her BS in Education from Missouri Valley College, Marshall, Mo. Then, in 1974, she earned her MS in Education with a major in Reading from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg. She donned her cap and gown in the same month that her son, Michael, graduated from Marshall High School. It was a grand moment for Pauline. As a respected educator, Pauline served as a reading resource teacher for the children of Marshall Public Schools, helping children learn to read and be successful in life. She taught for many years at both Eastwood and Northwest Elementary Schools in Marshall, and we can truly say that she “planted seeds that would grow forever.”
Today, we celebrate Pauline Thomas as a beloved mother, grandmother, and sister. She is a long-time member and former Sunday school teacher at First Assembly of God and Southside Assembly of God churches in Marshall. Her love for God and desire to share the gospel with family and friends was her dearest ambition. A devout Christian, Pauline leaves a wonderful heritage of faith to her children and grandchildren. Her shining example of enduring faith in Jesus Christ will be a path her family can follow into eternity.
We miss you already our dear mother and friend! Revered and loved by all, we rejoice that our precious sister in Christ is now at home with the Lord.