Martha M. Thomas

Martha May Thomas, born December 13, 1919 in Carrollton, Missouri, passed away on May 31, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is the former Martha May Christmas, and she moved to Tulare in 1921 together with her parents, Cleve A. Christmas, Sr., Ida Belle Oden Christmas, and the extended Oden clan.

Martha attended Wilson Elementary School and Cherry Avenue School in Tulare and graduated In 1937 from Tulare High School, where she played the saxophone in the high school band. In the same year, she married Leonard Ray Fielder of Lepanto, Arkansas. Within three years, two daughters were born to the couple in Tulare, and in 1948 they adopted a son while living in Compton, California. Two of the children later graduated from Tulare High School. Martha and Ray Fielder were divorced in 1962.

On October 2, 1965, Martha was married to Don Thomas, originally of Visalia, CA. Don and Martha lived for many years in Tulare, where Martha worked for some 20 years as a bookkeeper at the Tulare County Dairy Herd Improvement Association. The couple also lived in Morro Bay and Porterville, CA, and had moved to Las Vegas, NV, shortly before Martha’s death. The Thomases were married for 43 years.

Martha was preceded in death by her sister, Mary Amaden, and is survived by her brother, Cleve A. Christmas, Jr., of Hemet, CA. She is also survived by her three children, Janice M. Wifladt of Camrose, of Alberta, Canada, Karen R. McLemore of Strathmore, CA, and Ronald R. Fielder of Oakland, CA; by seven grandchildren, and by 16 great-grandchildren. Martha also has four step children, Verlene Wagner and Gay Foster of Las Vegas, NV, Cheryl Maloney of Sacramento, CA and Donald A. Thomas of Lodi, CA; ten step-grandchildren, and 12 step-great grandchildren.

Viewing will be held from 5-8 p.m., Thursday, June 5, 2008 at Peers Lorentzen Funeral Chapel, Tulare, CA.  Services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Friday, June 6, 2008 at Peers Lorentzen Funeral Chapel, Tulare with burial following at Tulare District Cemetery, Tulare.