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Mary Louise Roberts Thomas Mary Louise Roberts Thomas was born in an upstairs bedroom in her beloved family home at 804 Oak Street on September 11, 1923. She attended John W. Campbell Elementary, which was across the street from her home. She loved school and playing with her childhood friends who lived in the area. She talked often about how they made all of their toys from whatever materials they could find. She grew up during the Depression, but said she never new that her family was poor because she had such a wonderful childhood. She was preceded in death by her parents, Quintas Irvin and Ethel Roberts, her brothers Q. I., Jr. and Robert, her sisters, Mattie Roberts and Ethel Johnson, and her beloved son, Robert Scott Thomas. She is survived by her daughter, Jane Thomas Crawford, and husband Cary, granddaughters, Sloan and Connor and nephews and nieces, Gerald and Gail Roberts, Suellen and Jody Davis, Irving and Norlene Roberts, Carl and Lou Johnson, Linda-Kaye and Marc Spalding, Marcy and Ron Jones, and Kathy Roberts, and many great nieces and nephews. She graduated from Mellon High School and through the generosity of her brother and sister-in-law, Q. I. and Virginia Roberts, she attended Tift College in Forsythe, Georgia, where she graduated in 1945. She accepted a job as a buyer for Rich’s Department Store in Atlanta, but was persuaded by Hubert Robinson, principal, to come to Palatka High School to teach English. During the 36 years that she taught school, she impacted the lives of so many of her students, many of whom maintained a relationship with her until her death. She is remembered by many as the director of the World Lit Shows that she produced for many years. These shows gave many of her students the opportunity to display their many talents to the student body and to the public. The legacy that she leaves is profound and will be a comfort to her family. She retired from teaching in 1988 to help take care of her granddaughter. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Palatka where she had sung in the choir and taught Sunday School for many years. She was selected as Star Teacher (the precursor to Florida’s Teacher of the Year Program) for three consecutive years. This selection was made by the senior student with the highest SAT score. For many years, she was a member of the Senior Friends Bridge Group, where she played bridge every Monday. She was very proud of all of her family and loved spending time with them. She spent many hours writing a narrative of the Roberts Family history, which she has added to through the years. She was a wonderful cook and one of her greatest joys was having her family over for weekly dinners. She loved to read and study, and never lost her desire to learn or her quest for knowledge. Services celebrating Mary Louise’s life will be held 11:00 AM, Saturday, February 27, 2010 at the First Baptist Church of Palatka with Reverend Charles T. Rabun, Jr. officiating and her nephew, Gerald Roberts as the eulogist. The family will receive friends Friday from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Johnson-Overturf Funeral Home in Palatka. Contributions may be made in her memory to the Haven Hospice Roberts Care Center, 6400 St. Johns Avenue, Palatka, Florida, 32177 or in Memory of Mary Louise Thomas at Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, 207 N. San Marco Ave., St. Augustine, Florida, 32084.
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