Obituary

 Clara Cecelia Thomas, 94, of Heartland Health Care Center, Moline, former lifelong resident of Rock Island, died Friday, July 11, 2003, at the center.
  Services will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Rock Island. The Rev. Ambrose Cunningham will officiate. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Rock Island.
  Visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Wheelan Funeral Home, Rock Island, followed by a wake service. Memorials may be made to the church or the Alzheimers Association.
  She was born Oct. 20, 1908, in Rock Island, a daughter of Henri Eugene Hancq and Mary Elizabeth Engels Hancq. She graduated from Rock Island High School and Chicago Normal School of Physical Education, where she received her teaching degree. She taught at St. George School for Girls, Chicago, and Wyler's School for Boys, Evansville, Wis. She married Henry H. Thomas March 5, 1931, in Oregon, Ill. He died Nov. 14, 1987.
  Clara was a member of Sacred Heart Church and the Rock Island County Republican Women, serving as an election judge for many years. She was also a lifetime P.T.A. member. In her early years, she was a catcher on the first woman's softball team of Rock Island and worked for the park system in the summer. Clara loved flowers, gardening and cooking and baked the best pies and cakes. She enjoyed reading and writing, especially poetry and corresponding with her family, friends and acquaintances. Her door was open to all, especially to those in need. She will be remembered for her selfless, kind, caring and loving nature.
  Survivors (and spouses) are her sons, Richard (Susan) Thomas, Hoffman Estates, Ill., Jerry (Nancy) Thomas, Edina, Minn., Henry Thomas, Rock Island, Thomas (Lisa) Thomas, Alamo, Calif., and Kent (Nancy) Thomas, Rock Island; daughters, Marilyn DeKoster, Mount Prospect, Ill., Clare (James) Taylor, Broad Run, Va., Margaret ``Sugar'' (George) Niquette, Arvada, Colo., and Elizabeth ``Liz'' (John) McGonigle, Rock Island; daughter-in-law, Helen Thomas Deniston, Chelsea, Mich.; 29 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren; and a sister, Henrietta McManus, Aledo. She was preceded in death by her husband; a son, N. Charles ``Chuck'' Thomas; son-in-law, Robert ``Bob'' DeKoster; daughter-in-law, Roberta Thomas; a brother, August Hancq; and a sister, Isabella McManus.
  Her family extends a special thank you to Barbara A. Hertner R.N. and Heartland Health Care Center for the wonderful care she received at the end of her life.

A prayerful tribute to our mother, written by Matthew Taylor, grandson:
  She was a faithful and loving wife. A loving and caring mother of 10 who inscribed upon her kids the principles that were inscribed upon her by her mother: To love the Lord with all your heart, soul and might. To love your neighbor as yourself. And to defend and care for the widow, the alien and the orphan. She was a faithful servant to God. Her trust in Him was shown by her actions. When times were tight, she took food from her table and shared it with those who had nothing. Often this was against her husband's will. But it was what was inscribed on her heart by the very hand of her God, and she was faithful to following His instruction. This woman truly was a daughter of Abraham. And the blessings that were placed upon him and his descendants abounded greatly in her. She was a mother who was proud of her children and her children's children. She stands as a witness to all that knew her that if you commit your ways to God's ways you will be blessed and you will prosper in all that you do.
(Rock Island, Argus, Wednesday, July 16, 2003)