Thoma, Patricia Cahir, was born in Scituate, Massachusetts, of immigrant parents, Jeremiah and Mary E. (Duggan) Cahir on March 18, 1930. Her father died when she was four, and her single mother worked honorably, hard, and courageously to raise a family of five children through the Great Depression. Pat inherited those fine qualities, working prodigiously and well at diverse jobs, but mainly at Houghton Mifflin Company of Boston where she worked for forty-four years. Without benefit of any association or any college education, she achieved much advancement to become Vice President and Director of Art and Production. She received several honors including the prestigious W.A. Dwiggins Award for Excellence in Design (1976), and was the first woman to be inducted into Boston’s The Society of Printers. Numerous others, including many women, achieved notable careers in publishing and related fields after benefiting from her tutelage. A generous, thoughtful, and creative friend to all who knew her, she was especially so for her extended family, and her long-time school friends, employees, colleagues, and numerous young people whose education she supported. Mrs.Thoma was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Dr. Henry F. Thoma, two sisters, Mary Balleste and Ann Reid, and a brother, Jeremiah Cahir. She is survived by a loving brother, John Cahir, and his wife Mary Anne, of State College, Pennsylvania, and eighteen nieces and nephews of the Cahir and Thoma families who have often said "Everyone should have an aunt like Aunt Pat."
A memorial service will be held to honor Patricia on Tuesday, July 7, at 4:30 p.m. at the Boston Athenaeum, 10 1/2 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02136. Memorial contributions may be made to the Boston Athanaeum or to the Bourne Conservation Trust, P.O. Box 1040, Taunton, MA 02780. www.lawlerfuneralhome.com
Lawler & Crosby Funeral Home
617-323-5600