Marilyn Elaine Thomas (Wallace), 83, passed away on Sunday, August 27th, 2023, at her home in Knob Fork, West Virginia after a brief battle with kidney failure. She was born on December 1st, 1939, in DuBois, Pennsylvania to Wayne and Virginia (Boyer) Wallace Flanders.
Marilyn grew up in Emporium, Pennsylvania. She was an only child and spent a great deal of time with her mother. As a young girl, she worked in her mother’s dry cleaning and alterations shop. Marilyn spent summers on her grandfather’s farm where he raised chickens and grew nut trees and instilled in her a love for all things agricultural.
After high school, in 1957, at 17, Marilyn married her high school sweetheart, Eugene Thomas who had enlisted in the US Navy by then. Their first years of marriage were spent moving across the United States to advance his career and ability to better raise their family of four children. By the time Marilyn was 23 she had 4 children. They lived in Newport, Rhode Island, Charleston, South Carolina, Bremerton, Washington, Norfolk, Virginia, Key West, Florida, Lakewood and San Diego, California.
Marilyn spent those years raising her children, mostly by herself as Eugene was often deployed overseas. She once drove herself, and 4 children ages 6 months to 4 years, from Key West to Bremerton.
Marilyn was short, barely 5 feet tall, energetic, intelligent, and cheerful. She was independent in many ways and willing to learn. Marilyn was adept at managing the household and learning to do the things she needed and wanted to accomplish, all centered around her family and all without any money to speak of. Marilyn was interesting and never suffered from boredom, not with herself and not with her children.
In 1982, Marilyn and Eugene retired to Knob Fork, WV and purchased an 80-acre farm where Marilyn enjoyed raising cows, chickens, rabbits, and ducks while growing great vegetable gardens.
During this time, Marilyn also gave back to her community by reading to the students at Long Drain School weekly for 30 years, she personally financed three visits of the Mobile Agriculture Science Labs to Wetzel County. Marilyn did fundraising and summer crafts for the Hundred, WV Library. She single-handedly raised the funds and was the contractor for a new livestock barn/arena in the 4-H Camp. Marilyn established Wetzel County’s Annual Autumnfest.
Marilyn was an active member of Farm Bureau and served as president from 1989 to 2002, then was vice-president for an additional 7 years. She was a vital part of the WVFB’s Safety Program, helped establish the Annual Charity Auction, served as Women’s Leadership Chair and as Region 4 vice-chair. She received their WVFB Distinguished Service Award in 2014 and inducted into the WVFB Hall of Fame. Marilyn served on the Southern States Board. She was an active member of Homemakers, sponsored several foreign exchange students, did fundraising and worked the voting places. Marilyn was very active in Cancer Coalition, serving as president, getting the pink wreaths hung in October, giving demonstrations on the effects of chewing tobacco, making quilts for raffles to promote cancer awareness and raise money to help cancer patients. Marilyn also received the Southern States Board of Directors Award and Cancer Coalition Volunteer Award.
Marilyn loved to read, cook, and make quilts. She made and gave more than 100 children’s quilts to Ronald McDonald House; she also made and gave many full-size quilts to her family and friends.
Marilyn was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Eugene Thomas and by her parents Wayne and Virginia Wallace. She is survived by her four children, Pam Kissinger in California, John Thomas (Denise) in Portugal, Wally Thomas (Sharon) in California and Cathy Thomas in California; and by her 7 grandchildren, Leah Kissinger, Ashley Holler, Jenny Hopper (Randy Hopper), Daniel Martinez (Richie Ramirez), Aaron Martinez, Hannah Jones (Dave Jones) and Harry Thomas.
Friends may call at the Tennant Funeral Home, Hundred, WV from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. Funeral services will be held in the funeral home at 11:00 AM Thursday with Pastor Mike Murphy officiating. Interment will follow in the Mt. Zion Cemetery at Knob Fork.
