1929-2007

NORTHPORT - Carol M. Thomas, 77, of Northport, died July 30, 2007, of complications of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, surrounded by her loving family.

Carol was born on Oct. 26, 1929, in Detroit, to Samuel Kyle and Irene Schmidt Morris. She graduated from Western State High School in Kalamazoo and Oberlin College in Ohio, where she met the love of her life, Philip S. Thomas, whom she married in December 1950.

She worked as an elementary school teacher in Ypsilanti and Kalamazoo and at the American School in Karachi, Pakistan, and as a librarian at the International School in Islamabad, Pakistan. After getting a Master’s in Library Science, she worked as the Bookmobile coordinator for the Kalamazoo Public Library; Director of the United States Information Service Library in Mbabane, Swaziland; librarian at the United Nations Environment Program and the Library of Congress Acquisitions Office in Nairobi, Kenya; Coordinator of the Southwest Michigan Library Cooperative; and Director of the Allegan Public Library.

Carol, Phil and their family lived in Ann Arbor and Grinnell, Iowa before moving to Kalamazoo, where they lived for three decades prior to retiring to Northport. They also lived in India, Pakistan, Swaziland, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Malawi.

To say that Carol was an involved member of her community would be an understatement. In Kalamazoo, she was active with the League of Women Voters, the Junior Symphony Board, the Peace Council, the Kalamazoo College Women’s Club, the Oberlin College Alumni Association, and various school PTAs, editing the Kalamazoo Central High School newsletter for many years. In Kenya she played violin in the Nairobi Symphony Orchestra. In Northport she was on the Board of the Northport Community Arts Center (NCAC); a longtime Head Usher for the NCAC concerts; a founding member, librarian, and singer (which she especially loved) in the Village Voices; a past President of the Northport Women’s Club; a founding member of the Northport Area Heritage Association (NAHA), and a member of and the Librarian for Trinity Church.

But Carol’s greatest role was that as wife, mother and grandmother. She is survived by her husband; their children: Lindsey (David Lauth) of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Daniel (Adelheid Ebenhoech) of Prunedale, California, Lauren (Anthony Kincaid) of Omaha, Nebraska, and Gay of Madison, Wisconsin; “the most wonderful grandchildren in the world”: Katherine, Christopher and Caroline Lauth of Minneapolis, Samuel and Clara Kincaid of Omaha, and Gabriel and Emily Heck of Madison; and her sister Valeria Gillis of Florida.

Carol was a fiercely determined and devoted woman, who was deeply loved and will be greatly missed, but never forgotten. “God knows she tried!”

Carol is predeceased by her parents and her sister, Marilyn Wischmeier.
Memorial donations may be sent to the Northport Village Voices (Box 123, Northport MI 49670), NAHA (Box 453, Northport) or Trinity Church (Box 156,
Northport).