BEVERLY: Helga (Arula) Thomas, 86, died Monday, March 19, 2012 at the home of her daughter, Deborah in Essex. She was the wife of the late Carlyle W. Thomas, Jr. who died in June 2008.
Born in Tallinn, Estonia on October 24, 1925, she was the daughter of the late Adolf and Maria (Maemann) Arula. Helga was sent from Tallinn to live with family in Austria for safety when she was a teenager. She was fluent in several languages. In the 1940’s, she worked for the American Red Cross in France and later in Germany, where she met her husband, an American soldier.
She came to the United States in 1952. After living in Long Beach, Long Island, the family settled in Beverly. For over thirty-four years, she worked at GTE Sylvania in Salem in departments including engineering and quality control.
Helga enjoyed indulging and doting on her children and grandchildren immensely. A caring and attentive mother and grandmother, she had an uncanny ability to recall family members’ schedules, interests and activities and to keep everyone on track. An avid reader, she enjoyed having friends drop by to share books. She also loved to cook and share recipes from her vast collection. Prior to Carlyle’s death in 2008, the Thomases enjoyed hosting backyard pool parties, cruising to Essex for seafood and visiting friends and family.
She is survived by her daughter, Deborah Osborne and her husband Christopher of Essex; three sons, John Thomas of Ipswich, England, James Thomas of Beverly and Dean Thomas and his wife, Michelle of Beverly; two sisters-in-law, Alice Howell of Beverly and Eleanor Sabino of Peabody; eight grandchildren, Paul, John and David Thomas, Jaime Clake, Jamie Navas, Justin Thomas and Emily and Jonathan Osborne; seven great-grandchildren; her granddog, “Trevor” and many nieces and nephews. She was also predeceased by her daughter-in-law, Susan and her siblings, Olga and Otto.
According to their wishes, a joint visitation will be held honoring Helga and her late husband, Carlyle W. Thomas, Jr. on Wednesday, March 28th in the Grondin Funeral Home, 376 Cabot Street, Beverly from 5 – 8 p.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. Funeral services will be privately held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to the charity of one’s choice.