Adele Thomas

01/09/1922 - 02/16/2011

THOMAS, Adele

Adele was born in Watertown, SD, on January 9, 1922, the first of four daughters of Roy and Ora Stewart. She died of ovarian cancer on February 16, 2011, at her home in Spokane, surrounded by her family.
During WWII Adele met and married William Thomas, a serviceman stationed in Watertown. Together they raised five daughters and lived in Minneapolis, Watertown and Green Bay, WI. In 1974 they moved to Spokane to be closer to their grandchildren and to the mountains with which Adele had fallen in love.
Through the years Adele worked variously as a bookkeeper, copywriter, and owner of her own fabric store in Green Bay, Adele's Knit Fabrics, until she found her true calling as a Realtor. She enjoyed a very successful career with Windermere/Tupper Realty in the Spokane Valley. In this career, she was not only a member of the Million Dollar club, but also made lifelong friendships among her co-workers and many of her clients.
Adele enjoyed sewing and knitting, and was a skilled tailor. She had a love of travel and remembered fondly her trips to Hawaii, Paris and the British Isles, as well as numerous smaller trips with her friends. Her two great passions were ballroom dancing and playing bridge. She was one of the founding members of the Crystal Chandeliers Dance Club, and her much-less-talented daughters marveled at her grace on the dance floor. Playing bridge in numerous groups including the Compass Club and the VFW , Adele became one of the "BLT's", a group of friends who named themselves for their love of bridge, going out to lunch and traveling. These dear friends filled her life with so much joy and laughter.
After her retirement from real estate, Adele became a volunteer at the American Cancer Society's Discovery Shop, serving on the board of directors along with two terms as chairman during the 15 years she worked there. She was named Volunteer of the Year for the American Cancer Society in 1998.
Survivors include her five daughters: Penelope "Penny" Thomas of Everett; Caryl Lawton and husband Ray of Spokane; Marsha Thomas and husband Richard Jeltsch of Spokane; Melody Hansen and husband Terry of Green Bay; and Reneé Thomas of Spokane; grandchildren Laura Lawton-Forsyth, Aaron Lawton, Josh Frost, Jessie Frost, and Emily Frost, all of Spokane, Allison Diercks of Marshfield, MN; Bill Hansen of Ft. Meyers, FL; Porter Feller of Seattle; Susie Jeltsch of Vancouver, WA; and Tom Jeltsch of Ellensburg. Great-grandchildren include Chandler and Alyssa Forsyth, Hailey and Damon Lawton, Tré Hoisington, and Jane Banner, all of Spokane. Also surviving are two sisters, Peggy Rieckman of Oshkosh, WI and Caryl Stewart of Burlington, VT; dear family friend Elva Myers of Watertown and many beloved nieces and nephews.
A memorial service is planned to celebrate Adele's life at Whitworth Presbyterian Church, 312 W. Hawthorne Rd., on Monday, February 21, at 11:00 am.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 1403 W. 3rd Ave, Spokane, 99204; or Spokane Guilds School, 2118 W. Garland, Spokane, 99205.