Callie Willene Thomas

Callie Willene Thomas, known as Willene or "Gigi," left this world and went home peacefully and gracefully on August 27, 2025. Born on December 10, 1933, in Alpine, Texas, to Christine Vance Johnson and Howard E. Johnson, she moved with her family to El Paso, Texas, when she was 10. There she met the love of her life, Carlton Thomas, in Sunday School at Immanuel Baptist Church. They married on November 16, 1956, in that same church, and happily loved and supported each other for 63 years. Willene lived in El Paso until she was 85 and was a faithful member of Immanuel and First Baptist Church, serving in many leadership roles, including teaching Sunday School and working with the Deaf Ministry. She served on the building committee that built the "new" Immanuel Baptist Church on the corner of Hawkins and Viscount. She held every position possible in the Women's Missionary Union (WMU), including Girls Auxiliary (GA) Director, GA Camp Director, and Association WMU President. A graduate of El Paso High School, Willene completed her nurse's training at Hendricks Memorial Hospital in Abilene, Texas. She had the highest grade point average in her graduating class at Hardin-Simmons University. She worked as a surgical nurse at Southwestern General Hospital for most of her career, beginning at the time when blood was stored in glass bottles and drapes and scrubs were not disposable. In the 1990's she moved to Quality Assurance and Infection Control and led her facility in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, to win a Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award. A loving mother to Carri Lynn and Howard (Tommy) and an adoring Gigi to Caitlin and Jeffrey, she shared her faith with them and taught them, among many other things, to love your neighbor, to celebrate every occasion, to travel and explore, and to continue to learn and be curious. Additional family members who will miss her dearly include her daughter-in-law Teddi Joyce of Anniston, Alabama; her granddaughter-in-law, Michelle George and her great-grandson, Spencer Floyd of Rogers, Arkansas. Willene, or "Miss Callie," was joyful, loving, and singing until the end. Residents, their family members, and staff at Katherine's Place often remarked on how much they loved and enjoyed her. "When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder" was one of her favorite hymns. Her family and friends are at peace knowing that she responded happily to her name when it was called and is reunited with her Father, beloved husband, parents, and brother. A celebration of her life will be held on Friday, September 5, at 11:00 am at Rolling Hills Baptist Church in Fayetteville. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global Missions.