THOM Alice

THOM

MRS. ALICE LORETTA THOM (nee Parfitt), of Lethbridge passed away peacefully in her sleep on Thursday, November 5, 2015 at the age of 94 years.

A loving Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother and Great-Great-Grandmother, Alice is survived by her children George Thom (Buffy), Les Thom, Richard Thom (Joanne), Patrick Thom (Beth) and Ronald Thom (Wendy), all of Cranbrook, BC; Colleen Thom of Kamloops BC, and Loretta Bruchet (Don), Robert Thom (Karen), Gerard Thom (Shelly) and Joseph Thom (Lori) all of Lethbridge. She is also survived by 25 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren, 1 great, great grandchild and sisters; Helen Byrne, Geraldine Parfitt and Jock Carpenter of Lethbridge, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Mom was predeceased by her husband John, her parents Maurice and Mary Helene Parfitt, her infant brother Maurice George, and her sisters Kathleen Wilkinson and Francis Webb.

Born in Lethbridge on February 21, 1921, Mom graduated from St. Patrick’s High School, followed by Garbutt Business College. She began working at Thom’s Dairy doing the bookkeeping, and there she met Dad. They were married and she began a career at home raising her family. When Mom returned to the workforce, she worked in admitting at St. Michael’s Hospital; later, as an assistant to Dr. Dyer; and as a health care assistant at Southland Nursing Home. Even with the necessary work to earn a living, Mom’s main focus was raising her children, and serving her beloved church. Her kind and giving nature led her to work with her sisters at the Interfaith Food Bank for several years. She helped with bookkeeping and knitted hats, scarves and mitts for those in need. For many, many years during her time at home, she was devoted to sewing and knitting doll clothes to raise money for the Catholic Missions.

Mom was very devout in her Catholic faith. She had great devotion to Our Blessed Mother. She established Our Lady of the Prairies Rosary Guild, where she and others met and made over 50,000 rosaries to send to missions in Canada and around the Globe. Mom also established Our Lady of Grace Catholic Library in St. Patrick’s Church. Her love of reading gave her a vast knowledge of her Catholic faith and this led her to discover the Secular Franciscan Order. She was received into the order and went on to live a quiet, simple and prayerful life.

As Mom grew older and faced the challenges of age, she found she could no longer serve. Instead, you would find her with her rosary, praying for the things she held so dear to her heart; her family, friends, the poor, our priests, vocations to the priesthood and for peace in the world.

She is no longer among us, but always with us. She will be missed by so many.

Our family would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of Cottage 6 at the Good Samaritans Society, Park Meadows. Your care and devotion to helping the sick, elderly, and of course our Mother, will always be remembered. Your hard work, patience, cooking and cleaning, smiles and laughter, concern, and your belief in the importance of your work did not go unnoticed. Mom always said how special you all are. We agree and cannot thank you enough.

Relatives and friends are invited to a Prayer Service at CORNERSTONE FUNERAL HOME, 2800 Mayor Magrath Drive South, Lethbridge, AB, on Thursday, November 12, 2015 at 7:00 P.M. with Deacon Cliff Bogdan officiating.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at OUR LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION CATHOLIC CHURCH, 2405 – 12 Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB, on Friday, November 13, 2015 at 11:00 A.M. with Father Kevin Tumback, Celebrant. Interment will follow at Mountain View Cemetery.

In Memory of Mom, donations may be made to the Interfaith Food Bank, 1103 – 3 Avenue North, Lethbridge, AB, T1H 0H7.

To send a condolence, please visit www.cornerstonefuneralhome.com