IN LOVINg MemOry
1921 to 2023
Julie Thomas, former Benicia resident and community volunteer, passed gracefully at 101+ years young earlier this January 2023. She was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, along with younger brother Stan Hone, by parents Bernard and Sybil. Julie was active in high school sports and academics before attending MacMurray College as a freshman, and then transferring to the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor to complete a nursing degree.
During World War II, she enlisted as an Army nurse. After a zig-zag voyage with her unit and 3 infantry divisions across the Atlantic to shake German U-boats, Julie served in southern England at the 112th General Hospital (a US tent and “hut” hospital) as a 2nd Lt handling a ward of 30. Wounded arrived by air directly from the front around midnight. Julie volunteered to take on soldiers with war-caused mental problems as well as significant physical wounds.
At VE Day she and her unit received orders to transit on one of the first ships back to New York, bound for reassignment to the Pacific. On the way, she was reunited with a young Army medical officer, George Thomas, whom she’d met prior to her service in Europe and who had written her every day. She and he were married in the Chicago area in June of 1945.
After the war, Julie was placed in the inactive Army nurses reserve. She went back to college, this time at UC Berkeley. With husband George (by the early 50’s a dentist in Walnut Creek), Julie dedicated herself to raising a healthy family, which included 4 rambunctious boys, sons Randall, Brian, Scott, and Stanton, on a small ranch (and quite a garden) in the hills of Contra Costa County.
During this period Julie began her community volunteering. In 1978 (near the time her youngest son graduated from High School), she began a 40-year volunteer role as an ombudsman for Contra Costa County residents in eldercare facilities.
Moving to Benicia in the early 80’s, Julie took on additional roles that included looking after and caring for the landscaping at the Benicia Yacht Club, the Episcopal Church in Benicia, and her own residential community. She was an active volunteer with Benicia’s Welcome Wagon, and the Benicia Museum, and for many years helped run the Benicia Yacht Club races.
Julie later moved to Fairfield’s military retirement community at Paradise Valley Estates (PVE). There she became an active volunteer for another 18 years in the PVE Health Care Center, their residents’ Health Committee, Sunday service organization, choir, show tune extravaganzas, and sports activities.
Interested in the world, learning, and public affairs, Julie was involved with her husband in one of the first medical group exchanges with China following the end of the Cultural Revolution. After George passed, she continued her explorations abroad, to both Europe and Asia, and explored the Buddhist philosophy and faith through a Japanese friend, remarking on the similarities to the compassion and love core elements that she knew in Jesus’ teaching.
Julie is much loved, and will be missed by her children, family, friends, and acquaintances. She is survived by her brother, three sons, daughter in-law Susan, 5 grandchildren and their mothers, 4 great grandchildren, and many nephews, nieces, and relatives here and abroad. Her son Scott died while serving the US as an aerial firefighter pilot.
Her legacy to all is a spirited commitment to service, community, and sharing the joy of life. When you think of her, please remember these qualities to help them live on…
The family asks that donations be sent to your favorite charity in honor of Julie Thomas.