Virginia Coffin Thomas

Virginia was born in Petrolia, TX on November 24,1926 at home next to the gasoline plant where her father worked. Virginia was the middle child, sandwiched between beloved siblings Janie Dea and Paul, Jr. Within her family, she learned to be a voracious reader, love music and dogs, to develop a life of faith and to love the church - particularly the Presbyterian church - that nurtured her her entire life.

Virginia graduated from high school a year early and attended Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA before receiving a BA at Austin College (Sherman, TX) at age 20. In 1947, she left Texas for the last time and moved to Richmond, VA to attend the Presbyterian Church Assembly’s Training School (now Union Theological Seminary) where she received an MA in Bible in 1949. Throughout her life, she frequently referred to those two years of graduate school as two of the most important of her life - one primary reason being that it was there she met a Seminary student named Richard Davis Thomas.

Davis and Virginia were married on December 28, 1948. When Virginia told her mother she was marrying Davis, her mother advised that Virginia was ruining her life by not marrying a Texan and settling in Texas. On the contrary, Virginia and Davis shared a joyful, committed, and loving 68-year marriage until Davis’s death in 2016. Their five children were fortunate to witness this remarkable, loving partnership and can confirm Virginia survived leaving Texas. Their life together took them to churches in Moscow, MO, Wynne, AK, Tallahassee, FL, Kingsport, TN, New Port Richey FL, Mexico, MO, Culpeper, VA, Daytona Beach, FL and Huntington, WV.

No matter where she lived, work in her community was part of Virginia’s commitment to live in a world that reflected God’s Kingdom. She was one of the earliest volunteers at Headstart after it began in 1965, was a champion of strong public education for all, helped integrate the public swimming pools in Tallahassee, Florida, and was a prolific letter writer to City Councils, state Representatives, Senators, and even Presidents. She cared deeply about this country and the world and offered shrewd political commentary even until the end of her life Virginia’s commitment to the Church manifested itself in years of working as a church school teacher, sitting with children in worship so their parents could sing in the choir, playing the organ, engaging in spiritual retreats with Davis at Bon Secours Retreat Center, leading workshops on children and worship across the denomination and participating in worship. She wrote or co-wrote several books that brought together her faith, her love of children and the church, and her deep love of books: Children in the Worshiping Community (1981 – co-written with David Ng), God’s Family at the Table (1981 – co-written with Davis Thomas), Children’s Literature for All God’s Children (1986 – co-written with dear friend Betty Miller). Even in her 80s she was a regular book reviewer at Storypath, a site connecting children’s literature and faith.

Virginia’s love of dogs was legendary. Despite the fact that Davis had never had a dog in the house growing up, their first winter in the unheated manse in Moscow, MO found Davis wearing his Navy flight jacket with an adorable cocker spaniel puppy’s head peeking out of it in order to keep the puppy – and Davis – warm. Now that Virginia had converted Davis to dogs being family members, Whiskers, Freckles, Jake, Maggie and Marley followed. One of the saddest days of Virginia’s life was when Marley died and she felt she was no longer able to care for a dog on her own. She encouraged children and grandchildren who came to visit to bring their dogs. They happily complied and we were never sure which of these she was happier to see (though by the amount of time she spent petting the dogs and whispering “you’re a fine dog,” we have our suspicions).

Virginia was an avid gardener who loved nothing more than sitting on her porch swing in the afternoon and enjoying everything blooming around her. She loved St. George Island in the Gulf of Mexico where so many happy family summers were spent in a small cinderblock house with a tin roof. She was an intrepid traveler and made every trip more interesting because of the research and reading she had done about the places we were visiting. Her curiosity and appreciation for beauty found in the world and all its people was inspiring. Virginia was a cherished daughter, sister, mother, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. Her remarkable mind, her welcoming hospitality and her love of God and commitment to the life of service to which she felt God had called her, were gifts to all who knew her.

She is survived by her five children – Nancy (John) Andrews, Ann (Bob) Knox, Martha (Lyn) Gordon, Dave Thomas, and Mark (Sheila) Thomas ; her beloved nieces and nephews, fifteen grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her parents, her husband, Davis, her sister Janie and brother Paul, and her grandchildren Robert and Joanna Knox.

A service of Witness to the Resurrection will be held at First Presbyterian Church, Tallahassee, FL, on Saturday, Nov 7 at 10:00 am. In true Virginia fashion, there will be lots of music. Memorial gifts in Virginia’s name can be made to First Presbyterian Church, Tallahassee, FL.

For more than 40 years, she typed and sent (and eventually emailed) family members a Sunday Letter recapping the week. No event was too exciting or too mundane to be excluded, whether it was international travel, commentary about happenings in the world, or a new swimming exercise routine. Portions of these letters, along with other essays, were eventually compiled into a book for family members. At the end of the book, Virginia remarked on the thought of dying. We will close this obituary with her own words:

“I don’t think much about Heaven. For one thing, I love the world and want to enjoy and experience what God has made as much as possible. I have 9 different kinds of camellia blooms in the yard now; I will see and take pleasure in them now and let Heaven wait. I expect to be united with Davis and other loved ones in the love and worship of God. I have no idea what Heaven is like, but since God thought up pets and children and trees and camellias and St. George Island, I am quite confident whatever is beyond time and space will be satisfactory.”

Thanks be to God for her remarkable life. She was so loved and will be so missed.