Lauren (Wolfe) Thomas
Services: 4 p.m. Saturday, May 30, High Street Baptist Church, 900 N. Eastgate Ave., Springfield. Burial in Greenlawn Cemetery. Visitation: 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity OneSolePurpose at www.onesolepurpose.com.
Lauren (Wolfe) Thomas, 52, was born May 20, 1963, in Livermore, Calif., the daughter of Jim Wolfe and Dani (Snyder) Linkhart. She died May 21, 2015, after living with colon cancer for four years.
She was a member of High Street Baptist Church. She was a loving mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend and teacher.
She graduated from Buffalo High School in 1981, where she was a Buffalo Gal, enjoyed the Art Club and won many awards.
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood development in 1985 from Southwest Missouri State University and her master’s degree in reading education in 2003, while raising her four boys.
She taught kindergarten for 17 years, 16 of which were at Pleasant View Elementary. She loved teaching and it showed in the knowledge and love she shared with her students. She touched many lives in those years, and they in return were a blessing in her life.
She loved to travel and chaperoned many of her boys’ school-sponsored trips, including trips to France, Spain, Greece, Italy, Hawaii and a cross-country bus trip.
She had a passion and green thumb for growing flowers and plants, knew the name of nearly every plant and always had the most beautiful yard.
She loved spending time with her friends and family. She loved creating and continuing family traditions, such as blueberry picking every June, pumpkin carving every October, running the Turkey Trot and homemade sausage balls on Thanksgiving, and homemade birthday tablecloths for each son. She was truly the kindest, wittiest, and most loving person that God put on this earth, and those who knew her were blessed to have done so. She had a generous heart and a great sense of humor, and will be missed by many.
Survivors include her husband Randy; sons: Nicholas, Curtis, Matthew and Bradley; her mother and stepfather, Dani and John Linkhart; father, Jim Wolfe; sisters: Lynn Kimbrough and Leslee Sobraske; half-sisters: Capi Gollaway, Ashley Steinke and Megan Wolfe; stepbrother, Tom Wolfe; granddaughters: Adelaide and Stella; nine nephews; three nieces; and a number of cousins and other relatives.
