Jennifer Thomas

Jennifer Jo Thomas, 62 of Arcola, IL passed away at 9:40 PM on Friday, March 12, 2021 at her
residence.

Private funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at the Edwards
Funeral Home, 221 East Main St., Arcola, IL. Burial will follow in the Arcola Cemetery. The
funeral and burial will be private (family only).  The service will be streamed lived on the Edwards Funeral Home Facebook page. Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at the Funeral Home. The family requests for everyone to wear a mask.

Jennifer was born on August 5, 1958 in Mattoon, IL. She was a daughter of Roy Lee and
Kathleen Jo (Holloway) Armstrong. She married Michael Stephen Thomas on September 3, 1988 in Arcola, IL.

She is survived by her husband, Mike Thomas; eight children, Sarah Bailey and her husband Alvino of Lockport, IL, Patrick McCullough and his wife Rebecca of Humboldt, TN, Heather
Yadon and her husband Shawn of Alpine, TX, Meghann McCullough of Mahomet, IL, Matthew
McCullough of Arcola, IL, Beth Gatrost and her husband Jeff of Independence, MO, Katie
Barnes and her husband Greg of Tahlequah, OK and Marty Thomas of Arcola, IL, twelve
grandchildren, Aidan, Andrew, and Kaitlyn Bailey, Ryan McCullough, Emy Yadon, Madeline
and Blake Pilkington, Jaxson McCullough, Ava Gatrost, Gage, Garin and Taytum Barnes and
one more on the way, one brother, Jeff Armstrong and his wife JoEllen of Altamont, IL and one
sister, Heidi Kirklin and her husband Marc of Prattville, AL.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Jennifer was a 1976 graduate of Mattoon High School. She earned her Associates Degree in
Nursing at Lake Land College. She served as a Registered Nurse at Burnham Hospital in
Champaign, IL for one year before accepting a position at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in
Mattoon, IL where she worked as a Registered Nurse and would go on to become an educator for
the Eastern Illinois Regional Office of Education.

Jennifer enjoyed gardening, cooking and baking but most of all spending time with her family,
especially her grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the Marty Thomas Scholarship Fund.