Leona Christine Thomas

Leona C. ""Nonie" Thomas, 74, a three year East Wenatchee and a Brewster resident for over 40 years, passed away on Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at Highline Care Center in East Wenatchee, following a sudden illness. Leona Christine Thomas was born on March 28, 1939 in Everett, WA to Robert and Lillian (Dufloth) Thomas. She weighed seven pounds and six ounces and was twenty inches long. She was a good baby, but also spoiled by her grandparents, with whom she spent the early part of her life while her parents were in school. Leona had a very investigative mind which led her to climb and get into everything. It was almost impossible to keep her in the yard. When her daddy anchored the fence down so she couldn't crawl under it, it didn't stop her a bit, she just climbed over. One time while her parents had her visiting some friends, she disappeared. Everyone began to look for her and after quite a lengthy search, she was found hiding upstairs. Leona's investigative mind sometimes got her into trouble. When she was five years old, she pushed a chair up by the electric range and climbed up to see if she could discover what made the timer ring. Her clothes caught fire and she was badly burned. She had to spend several days in the hospital and would always bear the scars. Leona spent her first year of school in the church school at Omak. For the next five years, she was in Wenatchee attending Wenatchee Jr. Academy, (now known as Cascade Christian Academy). Her seventh and eighth grades were pleasantly spent at Big Meadow Academy in Troy, Idaho. She spent the next four years at Upper Columbia Academy in Spangle, Washington, graduating with the class of 1958. She continued her education at Walla Walla College in College Place, WA. In 1964, she moved to Wenatchee and went to work as a secretary at Chelan County Medical and later at Colonial Vista Convalescent in Wenatchee. In 1971, she returned to Brewster and initially went to work at Harmony House. Leona always wanted to grow up and have ten children, but when she didn't marry, she went with her back up plan and ran a day care out of her home for over 30 years. She was very proud of all of her daycare kids, she followed them through their accomplishments of graduations, marriages and their children's births. Later on, she became a Foster Home and Receiving Home provider. Her dream was to someday open an orphanage. She loved children so much that she became the first single parent to adopt a child. She loved music and taught herself to play the piano and violin by ear. She was a professional seamstress and sewed her daughters matching outfits on a regular basis. She had two daughters and three grandchildren that were her pride and joy. She was never far from children and became known by her family as "The Baby Whisperer". She continued to make her home in Brewster until moving to East Wenatchee three years ago. She was a lifelong member of the Seventh-day Adventist church, was a former longtime member of the Brewster Seventh-day Adventist Church and attended Valley View church in East Wenatchee. She is preceded in death by her parents Robert, Lillian and Henrietta (Lamberton) Thomas. She is survived by her two daughters, Lori R. Thomas, Seattle, WA and Nina "Sissy", Landin, Everett; sister, Janis "Jani" Trousdale, Seattle; sister-in-law, Imogene Thomas, East Wenatchee; grandchildren, Martin Jr., Favian and Julian Rodriguez all of Everett, WA; nieces, Leilani Dipaula, Erin Goss and Catherine LaViolette and nephews, Billy Thomas and Rob Trousdale. A commemoration service will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, August 1st at the Brewster Seventh-day Adventist church with Pastor Ryan Kilgore. Family and friends are invited to visit her online tribute at www.HeritageMemorialChapel.com . Arrangements are in care of Heritage Memorial Chapel, East Wenatchee.

Leona Christine Thomas

March 28, 1939 - July 23, 2013