Celebrating 105 years of age, Ruth P. Thomas’ legacy of service, leadership, and commitment to the community has been unwavering. If ever there was a Renaissance woman in Nebraska, Ruth Patrick Thomas fits that bill and so much more. She has been a pioneer, an innovator, a groundbreaker, and a social justice torchbearer. She’s been described as a fearless, intrepid, “rugged individualist,” and, though it goes without saying, a “champion multitasker.”

From a very early age, it was clear that Thomas was in charge of her destiny and already well down the path of marching to a different drummer’s beat. Born in Lincoln on April 18, 1920, to James Arthur and Odessa Hillman Patrick, Thomas was the eldest of three daughters and the granddaughter of David Patrick, a former slave and the first Black resident of Aurora, Nebraska.

Thomas graduated from Lincoln High in 1939 and from the University of Nebraska in 1943.

She met Francis Edgar Thomas and married on November 29, 1943, and moved to Omaha, Nebraska. After Mr. Thomas was discharged from the U.S. Army, he joined the family business, Thomas Funeral Home, with his brother, Wendell.

In 1954, Thomas enrolled in the College of Mortuary Science in St. Louis, graduating as the only female and the only African American in her class, becoming a licensed Embalmer and the Funeral Director at Thomas Funeral Home. The Thomas Funeral Home has helped many North Omaha residents get through their families’ darkest days. It’s fitting, then, that Ruth Patrick Thomas has been a source of light and inspiration to so many.

From 1965 to 1970, she was the Director of the North Omaha YWCA, the Omaha School Board, Board of Governors for Metro State College, and the Board of Directors at Charles Drew Health Center. Awarded the NAACP Freedom Fighter’s Award, Thomas is a Lifetime Member of the NAACP.

Other monumental recognition include the Delta Epsilon Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., which recognizes Ruth Thomas as a Diamond Member with over 75 years of service, and the Aksarben Foundation, honoring Thomas with the 2022 Aksarben Court of Honor Business & Industry Award.

Sources: Excerpt from Aksarben Foundation and Spirit of Omaha Magazine article “Court of Honor – Business & Industry Award”

Ms. Thomas’s children and grandchildren, who are the heart of her world, remain a beautiful testament to her life and enduring legacy.