Eleanor A. Thomas 102, of Sumner, died Friday, December 5, 2014, at the Hillcrest Home in Sumner.

Memorial services will be held 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 9, 2014, at Becker-Milnes Funeral Chapel in Sumner with Rev. William Runaas, Jr. officiating. Inurnment will follow at Garden of Memories Cemetery in Waterloo. Visitation will be held at the funeral home for one hour preceding services on Tuesday. Memorials may be made in her name to St. John Lutheran Church in Sumner.

Eleanor Anna, daughter of John and Meta Elizabeth Miller Ehlers, was born September 28, 1912, at Andrew, Iowa. She was baptized in Andrew and moved with her family at an early age to Kimball, South Dakota. She was confirmed on May 27, 1928 in Kimball and graduated from Kimball High School in 1931. On October 3, 1931, she was united in marriage with Charles William “Bill” Thomas in Kimball, South Dakota. They farmed for ten years in the Kimball area, prior to moving to Sumner in 1941, where they farmed for many years. Eleanor worked for a brief time at Community Memorial Hospital in Sumner and the Hillcrest Home, and also babysat for a Sumner school teacher’s children. Eleanor entered the Hillcrest Apartments in Sumner where she lived for two years until moving to the nursing home in 2010. She was a longtime member of St. John Lutheran Church in Sumner where she participated in the Ladies Circle. In addition to raising her children and assisting on the farm, she loved cooking and gardening.

She is survived by three children, James Thomas of Anaheim, California, Sharon Ann (Fred) Rovere of Columbus, Ohio, and Wayne Thomas of Sumner; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and one sister, Geraldine Prang of Pleasanton, California.

Eleanor was preceded in death by her husband, Bill who died December 3, 1987; one son, Lyle who died in 2004; her parents; a daughter-in-law, Marion; a brother, Maynard; and a brother in infancy; and two sisters, Lois Geiger, and Marjorie Callahan.