Joann Thomas

JoAnn Thomas (aka, “Mommy,” “Grammie,” “Old Lady”, “Joan, ” “Joanie Joan,” and “Ma”) was born to the late Benjamin Minus and Lucille Oates Butler on September 11, 1935, in Jersey City, New Jersey. The family moved to Potters Crossing in Edison, where her grandmother, Sarah Sally Oates resided. JoAnn married Raymond Thomas, Sr. in June 1953 and had her first child the same year. JoAnn had a strong personality and witty demeanor. She was the strongest and most resilient person most of us will ever know. With an 8th-grade education, she and her husband were avid readers of all genres, social matters, and topics. True romance, detective magazines, and the newspaper (especially the Home News Tribune and Star-Ledger) were the staples in the house and they encouraged everyone to read. By 1968, JoAnn had her love child resulting in a total of seven (7) children. She ran a tight ship and everyone knew she wouldn’t spare the rod. Most nights, dinner was only rice and beans and neck bones, but she would make sure her kids went to bed with a full stomach. Sunday was family dinner – and always with only fresh vegetables from Mr. Jack’s truck and her delicious soul food, which is why we have so many chefs in our family. JoAnn loved spending time with her family, laughing, keeping it real, and watching her favorite shows and movies. Her brothers and sisters were her constant support. Her oldest sister, Evangeline, died in a car accident so JoAnn never obtained her driver’s license, but you wouldn’t know it because she always found a way to get anywhere she needed to go, especially Menlo Park Mall (she loved looking nice-- JoAnn loved to dress and she passed that sense of style down to her children and her children’s children). Her children and her grand were her whole heart. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for any of them. She encouraged all of them to love each other, look out for each other, and show respect. There is nothing like a mother’s love. If you went to school or anywhere in the community and embarrassed her, you got it when you got home. She was honorable, had a slick tongue, and intuitiveness. She was a force to be reckoned with FOR SURE. She could cuss you out one minute and kiss you up and tell you she “loves you more” the next! JoAnn was employed as a Cottage Training Technician and Habilitation Trainer at the Woodbridge Developmental Center for over 20 years. In the spirit of wanting to remain productive after retirement, JoAnn continued to volunteer for 12 years as a “Foster Grandparent”. JoAnn loved R&B music and would blast gospel music (particularly Mahalia Jackson) and sing every Sunday while she was cooking dinner. She would make her grandchildren pick up lint from the carpet every afternoon while she and Aunt Sue watched their “stories”. She insisted on hanging clothes on the line even in the dead of winter. Her hobbies were looking up numbers in her dream books, playing her scratch-offs, and eating sweets (especially ice cream, taffy, and hard candy) She loved traveling with her family, especially her annual vacations with her sister, Sue, and their children, nieces and nephews. She always enjoyed their cruises. JoAnn knew God was her shepherd. Her favorite scripture was Psalm 23. She recited it proudly. JoAnn loved and lost four of her children, Joseph “Jo Jo” Todd Thomas, Elise “Lisie” Freeland, Rae Gail “Renee” Newcombe, and Jerome “Hakeem” Thomas, brothers and sisters, and grandchild, Joel Newcombe. JoAnn leaves to treasure her memory, her daughters Carol Jean Thomas Brown and Tonya Thomas Woods (William Woods), son, Raymond Thomas, Jr., two sisters Lila Pryor and Juanita Brown; her grandchildren, Nia, Tanisha (Emmanual), William, Rasheedah, Johnnica, Omar, Raven (Quann), Raymond III (Livia), Shakirah, Shamaya, Talia, Jordan, Shameka, Daquan, Kianna; her great-grandchildren, Courtney, Tajahnae, Sabir, Tania, Takiyah, Nadir, Eli, Khalil, Omar, Nicole, Candance, Takaylah, TaJohn, Raymond IV, Titan, Azariah, Raelise, Omari; great great grandchildren, Daquan, Jr., Mariah, Ivory, Laylaneece, Isaiah, Quason, Ja’Neese, Sarina, Akiyah, and Troy and many nieces and nephews.

 A life legacy is something that we leave or give to others, something that will last beyond our lifetime. JoAnn left a full and rich legacy.