July 26, 1938 - May 1, 2021

Gayle Joanne Thomas, 82, of Sweet Home, died May 1, 2021.

She was born July 26, 1938 in her family’s home in Quartzville, near Foster, the 16th and last child of Otto and Pearl Slater.  

She attended Sunnyside grade school, Sweet Home High School, and graduated from Seattle Pacific College in 1961. She married Larry Thomas in 1962, and they lived in North Hollywood and Burbank, Calif., for seven years, where their two children, Corey Thomas and Angie Emmert, were born.

They returned to Sweet Home in 1969, and Mrs. Thomas became a first-grade teacher at Liberty School.  She continued her teaching career for 27 years, and developed friendships with many of her students that lasted her entire life.  

The Thomases were members of the Sweet Home Evangelical Church, and were also active in other churches in the area. They were known for their selflessness and generosity throughout the area.  They both loved fishing and camping, and especially enjoyed traveling to Alaska via the Alcan Highway.

Mrs. Thomas is survived by her son, Corey Thomas and daughter-in-law Lisa of Sweet Home; daughter Angie Emmert and son-in-law Greg of Salem; brother Caryl Slater of LaPine; sister Shirley Anderson of Sitka, Alaska; as well as five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Larry, on June 18, 2020. 

A celebration of life service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 16, at the Sweet Home Evangelical Church. A private burial will be held at Gilliland Cemetery. 

Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements.