Roberta "Gayle" Thomas

Roberta ”Gayle” Thomas went to meet her Lord and Savior in the early morning hours of November 10th at Morning Star Assisted Living in Idaho Falls. Gayle was born in Marshal, OK to Leonard and Dorothy Pope on January 30, 1936. She met her husband, Ed, on a blind date at a baseball game in which he played catcher, and he also caught her heart. They married in El Reno, OK in 1955.  Gayle worked at odd jobs while deciding which career path to take. Ed was devoted to the US Army at the time, when he was called to serve as a radio operator in Germany.  Gayle joined him about a year later. One of the highlights of being in Germany,  was to welcome their only child, their daughter Terri. While in Germany, they traveled to many countries in Europe. After Ed completed his tour of duty, they returned to Oklahoma, where Gayle obtained her Master’s in Education and pursued a teaching career for 35 years in Oklahoma.  At retirement, Gayle enjoyed seasonal work in Creede, CO, at the Ramble House, a small sporting goods store for several years. Upon final return to OK, she and Ed settled at Grand Lake area where they both enjoyed fishing, and just being together. Terri had encouraged them to move closer to her as they aged, so they packed and headed out west to Star Valley, WY. They resided in Star Valley for the last 12 years. Gayle and Ed took an active part of the Thayne Senior Center, and enjoyed lunch daily with friends. They recently moved to Morning Star Assisted Living in Idaho Falls. Gayle spent the last 5 years of her life in complete blindness, depriving her of “living life to its fullest”, from her glaucoma. She is survived by her husband, Ed, daughter Terri Conger (Bentley), granddaughters Crystal Engen (Garrett) and Candi Hallermann (Justin), and four precious great grandchildren, Hailey and Colby Engen, Lilah and Weston Hallermann. We will all miss her greatly.