Amelia Newhall Thomas

Sarasota - Amelia Thomas, aged 52, of Sarasota, FL, passed away on August 20, 2024. Amy was born in Louisville, KY on September 3, 1970. Her mother called her "My Elixir." No one quite understood how Amy could be such an elixir. She was fun-loving and carefree and full of great humor. But an elixir? She had the very best off-beat jokes-Amy could make people cry with laughter. It was only in the last year, after Amy's cancer diagnosis, and her brother's sudden death, that others comprehended the title of Elixir . . .

As it turns out, her mother was right. At the pearly gates, it was surely said that Amy was The Greatest Lifter Of Spirits Of All Time. She was a giant beam of positivity after her brother's passing and during her cancer treatment. Her happy outlook was a force of nature. She somehow managed to float above all the doom and gloom with funny jokes and enthusiastic stories. Amy bravely and heroically lifted everyone up and got them through the very hardest of hard times. She was the life-saver-OUR ELIXIR.

Amy graduated from Venice High School, and then the University of Oregon. She was brilliant with numbers-she could add up (in her head) any numbers you threw at her. And she could remember phone numbers from 30 years ago. She was unbeatable in Scrabble-only her mother could possibly ever beat her.

Amy had a variety of jobs . . . she was a semi truck driver, driving 18 wheelers around the country. She was a business owner, driving her golf carts with passengers around Siesta Key. She was a personal trainer, teaching classes that were wildly entertaining. And she was an inventor-with many ideas and a variety of patents.

Amy had many passions. She loved cats-REALLY loved cats. She was the parent of two cats, Junior and Arbor. And she was devoted to the many strays around Sarasota-feeding them most nights. She had cat shirts and cat mugs and cat pictures. A shirt depicting a pistol-toting kitten riding a shark that was breathing a giant rainbow was one of her favorites.

Amy was also passionate about writing-she always had a book idea floating around in her head. She loved music -always humming a tune. She was a great artist and liked to sketch. She was a great athlete-competing in triathlons. She was a superb carpenter, an alien story appreciator, a high-top converse tennis shoe wearer, and the biggest coffee devotee ever (you didn't want to talk to Amy before her morning cup of coffee!). She was also an avid texter-her first question was "are you having a good day?"

Amy leaves behind her sisters Tamara and Jan Thomas, sister-in-law Amy Thomas, brother-in-law Peter Mozley, nephew Andrew Thomas and his fiance' Bri, and nephews William and Samuel Mozley, as well as many dear friends. Her brother, Charlie Thomas and parents Dorothy and Merthyn Thomas preceded her in death.

Losing Amy so early was heartbreaking. Her enthusiastic laughter and superb jokes still echo around the earth.

There will be a Celebration Of Life for Amy and her brother, Charlie, on November 16, 2024, 1-6 pm., at the Venice Community Center, 326 Nokomis Ave S, Venice Fl.

Donations can be to the Sarasota Humane Society in Amy's name.