May 29, 1920 ~ November 29, 2020 (age 100)Rowene Archibald Thomas was born May 29, 1920, in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, and passed away on November 29, 2020 at age 100 ½. She was the seventh of nine children, and she had nine children of her own.
Mom grew up in Dayton, Idaho. She loved riding horses and just being outside! Later on, she worked for Dr. Orvid Cutler’s wife and enjoyed that very much. Dr. Cutler was her doctor and delivered all nine of her children.
Mother and dad, Eugene Joseph Tomasi, were married February 23, 1942, at mom’s home in Dayton, Idaho. They were sealed in the Logan Temple the next April, and started their family in May.
Their children are Sheryl Ward (Steve), Janet West (George), Gloria House (Dean), Judy Harris (Denton), Ken, Pat Jensen (Doug), Larry (Julynne), Melanie Jenkins (Curt), and Brian.
Mom worked at the Nursing Home in Preston as the Activities Director for 16 years. She lived on the family farm in Weston for 76 years!
Mother was the supreme homemaker! She learned to be an excellent cook from her mother. We always came home from school to the aroma of homemade bread and jam. She made simple foods taste delicious like fried potatoes with onions, rice pudding with cinnamon and raisins, angel food cake with chocolate whipped cream, etc. A granddaughter said, “Bread and butter tastes better at Grandma’s!” She grew a big, beautiful garden and canned all kinds of fruits and vegetables every summer that we enjoyed eating all winter! She sewed our dresses, cheerleading uniforms, and costumes – whatever was needed. She scrubbed football uniforms, basketball uniforms, etc. for whatever sport was being played at the time.
Mom was a true pioneer in many ways. Hard work never stopped her from trying. She put in an irrigation dam when dad wasn’t home, she taught herself to sew on a little Singer sewing machine, and then helped her girls and others learn to sew in 4H. She remodeled the house, from tearing out to putting the final layer of plaster on the walls. She had a flare for writing and took a writing course through the mail. She wrote a skit, all in rhyme, for Pat’s high school FHA program. She encouraged each of us to get an education, and we did. She wasn’t able to graduate from high school because of sickness, so at age 54 she studied and received her GED, which made her so happy.
She started a DUP group in Weston when she was 80 and served as Captain many times. She had a great love for reading and remembering what she’d read! She always loved flowers and plants. She kept a beautiful yard and rock garden that she loved so much! She always loved learning new things and visiting new places. There was never a lot of money, so she learned to be frugal and use her ingenuity. We also ‘shopped til we dropped’, finding just the right thing at the right price.
Mom was a faithful, steadfast and immovable member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She served faithfully in many callings, especially as a teacher, throughout her life. She instilled this steadfast faith in each of her children. We all remember her preparing many church and DUP lessons. In 1995, at the age of 75, mom served a mission at the Family History Center in Logan, Utah. She served faithfully and grew to love genealogy, and helped other people love it too.
Mother has a wonderful posterity of 9 children, 32 grandchildren, 91 great-grandchildren, and 13 great-great-grandchildren, which are her most prized possessions! Our mother was a remarkable woman we are thankful for and love so very much!
She was preceded in death by her husband Eugene, son Brian, and four grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, December 4, 2020 at 11:00am at Webb Funeral Home, 1005 South 800 East, Preston, Idaho.
The services will be live streamed and may be watched at 11:00 a.m. MST by clicking on the following link: https://youtu.be/LcIBwbz4XHw
A viewing will be held Friday from 9:30 – 10:30am at Webb Funeral Home. Interment will follow in the Weston Cemetery.
The family would like to give heartfelt thanks to the caring staff at Heritage Home, the wonderful caregivers at Franklin County Nursing Home to Dr. David Beckstead.
Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at Webb Funeral Home.