Donna Rae (Callaway) Thoms

Donna Rae Thoms, age 89 of Nebr. City passed away on Monday, November 22, 2021 at the Ambassador in Nebr. City.
 
Donna Rae (Callaway) Thoms was born on December 8, 1931 near Unadilla, NE; the daughter of Raymond and Rosa Maria (Helm) Callaway.  She attended Paisley Rural School and then Unadilla High School where she graduated with the Class of 1949.  After high school, she attended Peru State College where she received her teaching certificate.  She taught school for one year at a school near Unadilla and then moved to Lincoln where she worked at a jewelry store.

Donna was united in marriage to Gerald Allen Thoms on April 25, 1953 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Lincoln, NE and to this union four children were born:  Terry, Sandra, Laura and Jeffrey.  They lived and farmed near Weeping Water, Avoca and later Nehawka.  Donna was Gerald’s bookkeeper for their Feed, Fertilizer and Propane business, Thoms Enterprise for 26 years.  Upon their retirement in 1996, Donna and Gerald moved to Nebraska City.  The two moved into the Ambassador in 2019, after their health declined.

She was a member of Holy Trinity Church and the Altar Society in Avoca and later at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Nebraska City.  She was also a member of the Nebraska City Heritage Quilt Guild and enjoyed sewing and quilting.   Painting was another hobby she enjoyed.  She liked to paint landscapes and her favorite flower, the iris.  She also had fun painting on sawblades.  Donna’s mom, Rosa Helm was one of the 1st Charter member of the first 4-H Club in Otoe County in 1920.  Donna was a second generation 4-Her, showing calves and she passed the tradition onto her children and grandchildren.
 
She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Gerald Thoms of Nebr. City; children:  Terry Thoms of Avoca, NE, Sandra Bjorkman (Tye) of Edgewood, NM, Laura Grundman (Jim) of Talmage, NE and Jeffrey Thoms (Lyndi) of Syracuse, NE; nine grandchildren:  Russell Thoms (friend Leah), Rebecca Hutton (Brett), Matt Hoselton, Ryan Hoselton (Jaclyn), Jaclyn Kreifels (Jason), Rachel  Sparks (Derek), Cami Bergman (Seth), Abbey Keim (Tim) and Jamie Juilfs (Zach) and 19 great-grandchildren;  siblings:  Darline Thoms of Avoca, NE, Shirley Hall (Jim) of Jerseyville, IL, Marlin Callaway (Shirley) of Lincoln, NE, Robert Callaway (Judy) of Lincoln, NE and Faye  Amerson (Thomas) of Parrish, AL; sisters-in-law Marilyn Vukich (Steve) of Lincoln, NE and Kate Callaway of Lincoln, NE; brother-in-law Don Frank of Lincoln, NE; other family and friends.

Donna was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond and Rosa Callaway and her in-laws:  Carl and Rose Thoms; siblings:  Gary Callaway and his wife Vicki, Larry Callaway and Rosella Frank and brother-in-law LeRoy Thoms.

The family will greet friends from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday (11/26) at the church followed by a rosary at 7:00 p.m.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 27, 2021 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Nebr. City.  The Funeral Mass will be live streamed on Gude Funeral Homes Facebook Page.
 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Donna Rae (Callaway) Thoms, please visit our floral store.