Shaiyena Joan Thomas

1932 - 2008

Shaiyena Joan Thomas

Shaiyena passed away December 10th unexpectedly at her residence in Ellensburg.
She was born October 25th 1932 in Watervliet N.Y. the second daughter of Helen and George Ford. Helen (Shaiyena) Joan Thomas and her sister Betty grew up working the family dairy. She attended Russell Sage College until meeting David Thomas, her husband of 34 years. Together they had their first son Peter, who died of natural causes as an infant. Not discouraged, she had 3 more sons and also adopted a daughter at 2 years old. Shaiyena dicated her early life to raising her children, spending many years in Webster N.Y., and later Sunapee, N.H.. She was extremely artistic and spent the school years volunteering with art classes and school plays and projects. In Sunapee she founded a successful retail and mail-order silk screening business that she operated for many years before selling. Shaiyena loved spending her vacations and summer months with her family at their summer home in Truro, Cape Cod, MA. where she loved the beach and ocean and also developed and expanded her tremendous artistic talents taking classes at Castle Hill center for the arts.
Shaiyena not only dedicated her life to family, but also to those less fortunate.
She donated much time and resources to inner city youth programs and spent a few years care taking a shelter for women victims of violence in Saratoga, N.Y. She also applied her ability and desire to help others by working for NutriSystem and Jenny Craig as a weight loss counselor for many years.
In 1990, Shaiyena moved to Washington State to be near family and expand her creativity, spirituality and study of alternative medicine and sciences. She spent a short
time in Port Angeles WA, before finally moving to Ellensburg in 1998. She worked at
Daybreak health food store for a number of years.
Shaiyena channeled her artistic talents into making unique natural jewelry which she sold on weekends at the Kittitas County Farmers Market. In addition to her artistic talents, some of her proudest accomplishments were her numerous fire walks, studies in spiritual healing with some of the leaders in the field and achieving status of Reiki master. She deeply loved her grandchildren and cherished the time she spent with them.
She loved all animals and often times sent treats and presents to her family's pets on special occasions.
Shaiyena Joan Thomas is survived by her son, John Thomas of Wilmington, N.C., sons and their spouses, Joel and Lynne Thomas of Easton, WA. and Adam and Kelli Thomas of Truro, MA. and daughter, Kitti Thomas of Greensville, S.C. In addition, her
Grandchildren who loved her deeply, Jaclyn, Whitney, Benjamin, Kearra, and Kyanna .
All who knew and loved Shaiyena Joan are invited to a gathering to celebrate her life on December 18th, 2008 at 6:30 pm at the Mary Grupe center at C.W.U..