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Angela Marilyn Thomas, 68

Angela Marilyn Thomas was born May 8, 1948, in London, England. She passed away the Nov. 8, 2016, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

We would like to invite all of our family and friends out for Angela’s internment service on Monday, May 8, 2017, at 2:15 p.m. sharp at The Washington State Veterans Cemetery, Medical Lake, Wash. It will be a short service there and than we would like to invite you all to join us back at the VFW Post 3603, Post Falls, Idaho, around 4-4:30 p.m. for light refreshments and to share more stories of Angela.

Angela’s parents were Albert and Hazel Hammond. She had three brothers: two older and one younger half brother. She had a complicated childhood and was raised as an only child because her father sent her to America when she was 4 and she was adopted by her uncle and aunt who raised her as their own. After 4, she never saw her biological parents again, but she did get to meet her brothers in 2000 and 2001. In 2000, two of her brothers and two nephews came over from England to see her and then in 2001, her oldest brother and his wife came. She was thrilled to meet her family.

Angela was raised mostly in Oregon, but the family moved around a lot. She graduated high school from Plymouth, N.C., in 1966.

She met her sweetheart, Russell Thomas at a USO dance in Tacoma, Wash., where he was serving in the Air Force. They were married on Aug. 30, 1968, in Tacoma and were married for 48 years. They moved many times while Russell was in the military. Christena Louise, their first daughter was born the Nov. 1, 1971, in Tucson, Ariz. Later, their daughter, Margaret Lynn was born April 8, 1975, in Tacoma. Angela and Russell have four grandchildren.

Angela enjoyed working with the VFW in the Women’s Auxiliary while Russell worked with the VFW. Her greatest joy was spending time with her family; husband Russell, her children and grandchildren.

One of Angela’s greatest trials was losing both of her parents within five months of each other in 1997. She also struggled over the past 10 years with many health issues including diabetes which resulted in having her foot and part of her leg amputated.

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Russell found Angela unresponsive at home and he called 911. The ambulance came and took her to the hospital. She passed away at Kootenai Health of congestive heart failure.

She is survived by her husband, Russell; her daughter, Christena Anderson, son-in-law Gary Anderson and grandson Thomas Stores; and her daughter, Margaret Leuck, son-in-law Joshua Leuck and grandchildren Sierra, Rusty and Emma Leuck.

Please visit Angela’s online memorial at www.englishfuneralchapel.com.