Obituary of Joanne Hayes Thomas

THOMAS - Joanne Hayes (Price), 79, of Lake Worth, Florida and formerly of Ebensburg passed away quietly on July 8, 2007 in Lake Worth. Born June 17 1928 in Latrobe, daughter of the late John B. and Anne (Hayes) Price. Preceded in death by beloved husband of 46 years, Ferd P. Thomas. Devoted mother of: Anne Kenny married to John, Ft Lauderdale, Florida; Jane DeCoursey married to Albert, Lake Worth, Florida; Barbara Thomas married to Tom Peters, Collingswood, New Jersey; Patrick Thomas and wife Deborah Waters, of New York, New York; Kate Thomas and fiance' Paul DiBiase, Lynnfield, Massachusetts; and Sue Cosgrove married to Daniel, of Collingswood, New Jersey; and grandchildren: Dorian Boland, Isabel Thomas-Peters, Devon Waters, Chanelle, Ugo and Diandra DiBiase; and John Patrick Cosgrove. Also survived by her sisters: Margaret (Walter) Corran, of Ebensburg and Mary Gregg of Somerset and many nieces and nephews. A longtime Ebensburg resident, "Jo" was active in the Ebensburg Women's Club and Mount Aloysius Junior College Alumni Association. She was very interested in children's literature and was instrumental in the conception of and the fund-raising for the original Holy Name School Library. In addition, she volunteered much of her time as the school librarian, director of many student reading clubs, and as a Brownie Troop leader. Jo loved to play bridge and was an active participant in the same bridge club for many years. A lover of the performing arts, she attended numerous classical presentations, even lending her lovely singing voice to the Johnstown Symphony Chorale. After devoting herself to her home and family she went on to a career in administration at the Ebensburg Center. Upon Ferd's retirement and their move to Florida she worked as a licensed representative for Advantage Capital Corporation. After Ferd's passing, Jo spent the rest of her retirement in Florida, her last several years residing with her daughter Jane in Lake Worth. Friends will be received from 7- 9 p.m. Friday, August 3rd, at the Askew-Houser Funeral Homes, Inc. Funeral Mass will be held at 9:00 a.m., Saturday, August 4th at Holy Name Church, the Rev. Msgr. Arnold L. Gaus, celebrant. Committal at Holy Name Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jo's memory may be made to the Holy Name School Angel Fund, 500 N. Julian Street, Ebensburg, Pa. 15931.