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Funeral: 11 a.m. Friday, August 20, 2021, at Frank & Bright Funeral Home
Visitation: 6 until 8 p.m. Thursday evening at the funeral home.
Interment: Elmwood Cemetery
At the request of the family, please plan on wearing a face mask if attending the visitation or funeral ceremony. Disposable masks will be available at the funeral home. Thank you for your understanding.
Rena M. Thomas, age 81, of Flora, Illinois, passed away Monday morning, August 16, 2021, at her home.
She was born July 25, 1940, in Clay County, the daughter of Earl A. and Geneva Dell (Wease) Lents. In 1962, she married Don L. Thomas during a wedding ceremony in Shawneetown.
Rena was a member of the Clay City High School Class of 1958. She was a founding employee of WNOI Radio, serving as News Director, and operated Able Cleaning Service. She will be most recently remembered for her work as resident columnist at the Hometown Journal and Clay County Republican Newspapers where she took readers on a journey of captivating historical and genealogical subjects by way of her weekly feature titled “Piecing Together The Past.” Rena was a member of Bethlehem Christian Church, The Clay County Genealogical Society, and the Sew Nifty Quilting Guild.
Rena is survived by her husband: Don Thomas of Flora; 2 sons: Tony (Sherri) Thomas of Robinson and Troy (Sandy) Thomas of Flora; 2 grandsons: Zach (Jessica) Thomas and Brenden (Summer) Thomas; 1 great-grandson: Sean Weatherspoon; 1 great-granddaughter: Adalynn Thomas; 5 sisters: Karen (Phillip) Marlow, Carol (Ron) Raley, Donna Given, Cheryl Hampton, and Terry Lentz; 1 brother: Rick (Tina) Lents; and a brother-in-law: Bob Monical.
She was preceded in death by her parents: Earl & Geneva Lents; her stepfather: John Lents; 1 brother: Dale E. Lents; and 1 sister: Noma Monical.
A funeral ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. Friday, August 20, 2021, at Frank & Bright Funeral Home in Flora with Mark Luzadder officiating. Interment will follow in Elmwood Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6 until 8 p.m. Thursday evening at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers or any gifts, the family prefers that memorial donations please be given to either Bethlehem Christian Church, Clay County Cancer Crusaders, or Clay County Hospice, and any of these will be accepted through the funeral home. To share a condolence, visit: www.frankandbright.com
At the request of the family, please plan on wearing a face mask if attending the visitation or funeral ceremony. Disposable masks will be available at the funeral home. Thank you for your understanding.
Jul 21, 1931 - Nov 18, 2024
Nov 15, 1940 - Nov 9, 2024
Sep 5, 1961 - Oct 31, 2024
Nov 14, 1941 - Oct 30, 2024
Nov 28, 1936 - Oct 29, 2024
So sorry for the family’s loss! Prayers for you all!
So sorry to hear of the passing of your mother. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Truly sorry for your loss. Our prayers are with you all during this difficult time.
Prayers for comfort, peace and that the good memories will soon replace your grief.
Sorry for your loss
So sorry for your loss. Prayers for the family.
So sorry for your loss of your Mother. May she Rest In Peace. Take care of your wonderful wife Sherry.
I am so sorry for your loss.
Sorry to read this. I bowled with Rena for several years. She was a serious and good bowler. Then Jeff and family lived next door for a while. She seems to enjoy the boys. My sympathy and prayers.
So sorry to hear of Rena's passing. Absolutely loved her "Piecing Together The Past" column which shared the history of friends and neighbors in the area. Consolences to all her family.
A sweet lady full of knowledge and resources that will be missed
We are so sorry for your loss our prayer are with the families
Sending you prayers for healing of this great loss. I hope that you have a great celebration of her life. Nothing better than a life well lived!
So sorry for your loss. Praying that you find comfort and peace during this difficult time.
Aunt Rena was such a warm, loving woman. She always welcomed us and was ready to go on adventures into history along every backroad we never knew existed. She has gained everything today but you/we will miss such a lively person. May the Lord comfort you knowing she ran the race well impacting people with her deep lovingkindness.
Cheryl and Donna we are thinking of you and the family at this time. Know it is difficult!
Your family is in our thoughts and prayers
So sorry, Tony and Troy. May she rest in peace! May you all find peace and comfort during your grieving. Sending my thoughts and prayers.
Sorry for your loss
So sorry to hear of Rena's passing. Her column in the paper was one my Mother's favorites because she shared Rena's interest in local history. The spoke on the phone sometimes when Rena would call my Mom to verify historical family facts. Such a sweet lady. My sympathies to her entire family.
I was saddened to hear of Rena's passing. She was a wealth of information on our shared family histories. Rest in peace Rena, you will be sadly missed by many.
Tony and Troy so sorry to hear about your mom
So sorry to hear that, I always enjoyed reading her articles on history & Genealogy. God Bless
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.
Lents Family, pleace accept our condolences for the loss of Rena. My mother, Jean Engelmeier, whose mother was Ola (Lents) Eaton, and Rena visited many time, especially at Throgmortons where mom worked many years, sharing their Lents family heritage and history. After my stroke, Rena reached out to me and we visited briefly. She was always a pleasure to talk with and reading her historical writings, a passion we shared. You are all in our thoughts and prayers. May she rest in peace with our heavenly father.
Thoughts and prayers continue
Praying for peace and comfort for your families
Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Romans 12:10. Appreciation for my aunt Rena reminiscing and reflecting on her research and stories with loving thoughts and continued prayers for uncle Don and family.
Sorry for your loss.
Thinking of growing up with my sister, holidays shared, work, bowling, and sister game days. I will miss her and love her. Prayers for her family.
I am so sorry to hear of Rena's passing. You and Rena had a wonderful life together and those memories will see you through. God bless you Don.
Very sorry you lost your mom. She was one of a kind. Very sweet women. Loved her kids. Many blessings during this hard time of excepting this hardship.
Sending hugs and prayers for all of you!❤
I am so sorry to hear that Rena has passed away. I can remember so so many great moments in the 70's of her. Rena and her sister Carol Raley ran the Able Cleaning Service together. I can remember Marla Raley waiting on Marla's front porch waiting on that van to drive up. She was a hard worker and an excellent teller of the past. I cannot express how much this community has lost as a citizen and friend and always giving those great memories from our past. R.I.P. Rena and if I know you , that golden pen you write with will continue to get us the "know" from above now. Loved you ♥ very much as did family and friends.
Our mom(Terry^) already said it--Aunt Rena taught us our ancestors' stories and the history of the region. By teaching these stories to us, she acted as a bridge or conduit for the people who have passed on. There are some stories that inspire us and some stories that are heart breaking. Both kinds of stories are important and shaped how I thought of my future. She taught us tricks to read old tombstones. When she practiced the art of quilting or showed my siblings and me where cardinal flowers grow or told us that you can make jam from elderberries if you can identify them correctly, she was giving us part of our culture. She was a tenacious researcher and a wonderful storyteller. All of that is amazing, and I don't really know how she became who she was. But really, the part of losing her that is so upsetting is that our Aunt Rena was incredibly warm, loving, affectionate, kind, and I know she will *never* be replaced. No one hugs like Aunt Rena hugs. No one lovingly fusses like she fusses. Even as a kid, I knew that she loved her family and she thought the world of her grandkids. She'd pick us up from our grandma's and then we'd visit Zach or she'd tell us about the boys' games. She always made time for us. She was such a warm and loving force, and she let us know how much she loved us. I want to say to her children and Uncle Don that she is so loved and so treasured. We love her so much.
After Mother died, my sister Rena became the family matriarch, and her home became the hub of family gatherings and activities. Her heart was revealed through her willingness to serve others whether it was in Bethlehem Church, caring for Mother and her father-in-law, sewing my prom dresses and my daughters’ dresses, sewing quilts for others, as well as leading in Boy Scouts for Tony and Troy. Don brought much joy to Rena in their marriage which she so valued the loving relationship (confided to me). She gave away her greatest treasure – her time and herself to teach Reza, America, Lavonne, and Geneva (my kids) to love the mysteries of family genealogy, to explore historical sites, to play board and card games, and to drive around seeing the architecture of old homes. Oftentimes Rena’s chili, deviled eggs, and homemade chicken and noodles invited visitors into her kitchen to enjoy her hospitality. You were always a welcomed guest! Moreover, she taught her children and grandchildren the importance of loving God. The comfort I have now is in knowing she Is alive with God (although separated temporarily from us), and one day I shall laugh and dance with delight with Rena again!
I am so thankful for the many great blessings from sharing time with Aunt Rena listening to her tell of family history, playing games, doing crossword puzzles, going on car rides, eating her famous noodles, and forever miss having her explain the different stitching in her quilts. I will forever treasure the quilts she made for my girls when they were born and the big hugs she always gave with the extra love swat on the behind when you turned around lol.
I can remember staying with Grandma Lents and seeing Aunt Rena’s van coming down the drive. This meant one of two things — we were about to embark on a historical/genealogical excursion or she was taking us to DQ — both sounded exciting! I love Aunt Rena so much. She was always interestingly to talk to and I’m grateful for all the history and stories she told us. I loved her sharp wit and mischievous sense of humor while we played cards and dominoes. Truly going to miss Aunt Rena.
So sorry for your loss. Prayers for comfort for the family.
I was saddened to learn of Rena's passing. I have many memories of growing up next to the Lents'. Terry and I got into a lot of trouble, but Rena was always coming to the rescue. I remember Rena and Cheryl singing lots of 50s songs in the kitchen. Rena was a wonderful lady, always giving of her time and energy. While she will be missed on Earth, I think the heavens are having a good time with her there!!
My sympathies to the family for the loss of Rena. Cheryl & Renae, keeping you in my thoughts & sending hugs to you both.
I am so sorry for the loss. She will truly be missed. I always enjoyed our Conversations when I came down to visit.
Frank & Bright Funeral Home
and Cremation Services
500 North Main Street
Flora, Illinois 62839
Phone : (618) 662-2141
Fax: (618) 662-4600
Email: [email protected]
