Mary Kathryn Thomas

Mary, known as Kay to her family and friends, died peacefully Sunday morning January 21, 2024, at Lee’s Summit MO.

Kay was born November 13, 1932, in Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri to Benjamin VanCamp Alton and Edith Alice Vaile Alton.  She was the fifth child of seven to this family. She grew up at 513 N. Pleasant St. in Independence, Missouri and attended William Chrisman High School.   Kay met the love of her life, Jack D. Thomas, in high school.  After her graduation from high school, she married Jack on December 23, 1951, in Independence.  Jack was in the Navy and that began a life of travel for them both.  They lived in many different places, including Folley Alabama, Brownsville, Florida, Columbia, Missouri and Venice & Costa Mesa, California.   Their door was always open to family to come visit them no matter where they were and many of their siblings and friends took them up on it while they spent many years in California.  Upon Jack’s retirement, in 1986, they bought a farm in Kearney Missouri where Kay lived until recently.  They loved to host family get togethers on their farm.

Kay had many hobbies.   She learned to ice skate while living in California and spent many hours skating.  Kay was also an artist and loved to oil paint. She took painting classes from Bob Ross while living in California which was one of her favorite bragging rights.   She even had a couple photos taken with him.  Kay also played the organ.

Kay’s faith was also very important to her. Kay was baptized into the Methodist Church in 1940.  After her marriage to Jack, she joined the RLDS church, now known as the Community of Christ Church in May 1954 at Brownsville, Florida.  She was active in many church activities in her life, including supporting Jack as he pastored several congregations.  In November 1997 she was ordained to the office of Deacon and was actively involved in the Excelsior Springs Community of Christ congregation until it became harder for her to drive.  

Kay overcame many of her fears in life after Jack passed, continuing to live on the farm and figure out how to do so many things that he had taken care of for her. The last few years really became a challenge for her, but she refused to leave all her memories behind to move. She lived on the farm with the help of caregivers.  Her health had slowly begun to decline and her memory slowly failing her.  After her fall in August of 2023, she needed constant care and moved to Silverado Memory Care Community where she was beginning to enjoy and participate in the daily activities.  

Kay was proceeded in death by her loving husband, Jack Thomas, parents Ben and Edith Alton, 5 siblings.  Survivors are her sister Georgia Allgrunn of Blue Springs, MO and many nieces and nephews.