Margaret Brownlee Thomas, (1927)

Malad…….Margaret B. Thomas, 83, of Malad, passed away on Sunday, December 19, 2010, of heart failure. Graveside services will be held on Thursday, December 23, 2010, at 12 noon at the Malad City Cemetery. Friends may visit with her family on Wednesday, December 22 from 6-8 pm at the Horsley Funeral Home 132 W. 300 N. in Malad. A complete obituary will follow in Wednesday’s Idaho State Journal. You are invited to send condolences to Margaret’s family by visiting www.horsleyfuneralhome.com.

Thomas_Margaret_Brownlee_14 August 1927
Margaret Faye Brownlee Sweeten Thomas, 83, passed away Sunday, December 19, 2010 of heart failure at the Portneuf Medical Center, Pocatello, Idaho.
She was born August 14, 1927 in Orlando, Florida, to George Dewey and Edna Laurie Jones Brownlee.
She faithfully served an LDS mission in the Southern States Mission. She ventured west to work in the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City, Utah where she met Elbert James Sweeten. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on February 18, 1948. They were later divorced.
In 1978, she was married to Lamar J. Thomas until his death in 1996.
She was a faithful member of the LDS church, serving in many capacities in the Holbrook, Pleasantview and Malad Third Wards. Her passion for genealogy, temple work and family history resulted in volumes of researched information.
She raised beautiful gardens and frugally canned everything she could get her hands on. An excellent seamstress, she was constantly sewing and quilting for her children and grandchildren. Neighbors never went without homemade bread or jams.
For many years, mother worked for Miller’s Jewelry and later in the physical therapy unit of the Oneida County Hospital. She served as curator of the Oneida Pioneer Museum for the last six years and loved visiting with all who stopped by.
Her children and grandchildren were the joys of her life. Grandma Nannie, as she was affectionately called, enjoyed countless hours of babysitting and entertaining, all the while teaching them valuable life lessons.
She is survived by her children: Sherrie (Dennis) Evans, Malad, Idaho; Elbert James Sweeten, Jr., (Una) Richmond, Utah; Marsha (Roy Shepherd) Russell, Clinton, Utah; and Denver (Lucinda) Sweeten, Malad Idaho. 19 grandchildren and 38 great grandchildren; a brother, Ray Brownlee and sisters, Barbara Brace Brooks and Darlene Brownlee.
She was preceded in death by her parents and the uncle and aunt, Denver and Foy-Mac Brownlee, who raised her; her husband, Lamar; three grandchildren; Jennifer Laurie Evans, Hawkin Sweeten and Shawnta Sweeten Ward.
In accordance with her expressed wishes, a visitation was held Wednesday, December 22, 2010 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Graveside services will be held Thursday, December 23, 2010 at 12:00.