Obituary of Kathryn M. Thomas

Kathryn “Kay” Thomas, age 85 of 2300 Cae Drive, Iowa City died Monday, October 31, 2005, at her home surrounded by her loving family. Memorial services will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 2, 2005, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City with the Chaplin Donita Hochstetler officiating. Visitation will be after 4pm Wednesday until service times. Private family graveside services will be held at a later date at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Iowa City. In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made in Kay’s memory to Amenity Hospice of Eastern Iowa. Online condolences may be sent for Kay’s family through our website @www.gayandciha.com. Kay was born February 16, 1920, on the family farm near North Liberty the daughter of Floyd and Olive Myers. She attended schools in North Liberty until her freshman year when she and her older sister, June went to live in Iowa City with their great-aunt Anna Guzeman while they attended and graduated from University High School. On June 17, 1939 Kay married Edward Williams Thomas in Iowa City. The couple moved to the Thomas family farm where they maintained a dairy herd and milk route for fifteen years. Also at this time they started a business of raising and showing purebred Duroc hogs under the business name of Kayward Farms. In later years Kay and Ed became active in real estate, developing land on the west side of Iowa City. Kay had many hobbies and interest while attending high school and the University of Iowa. They included playing the trumpet, violin, and piano. Doing taxidermy, hunting, and pitching for the girls softball team sponsored by Smith’s Café of Iowa City. Kay loved working in her vegetable and flower gardens, canning produce from their garden and home orchard and sharing extra produce with family and friends. She enjoyed baking, refinishing furniture, doing needlepoint and counted cross stitch. Her family includes her husband of sixty-six years, Edward; daughters, Jeanne Thomas Urban and her husband, Don of Iowa City; and Barbara Thomas Hakes of Laramie, WY; son-in-law, William C. Sayre and his wife, Linda of Iowa City and their children Kathy and Ryan; grandchildren, Tim Hocker, Jill Marolf and her husband, Doug; and Margo Grolmus and her husband, Tim; great-grandchildren, Drew and Zoë Hocker, Wyatt Marolf, Mary Jo, David and Trent Grolmus; nieces and nephews, Mary Ann Park and her husband, Richard of Iowa City, Bette Lopez and her husband, Joe of Ozawkie. KS; and Jack McGinnis and his wife, Glenda of LaMonte, MO; 8 great nieces and nephews and 9 great-great nieces and nephews. Kay was preceded in death by her parents, daughter, Kathleen Thomas Sayre; and her sister, June McGinnis. Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service is caring for Kay’s family and her services.