Mary Jane Delmarsh Thomas, age 95, died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, Oct 10, 2010 at the Henrietta Brewer House in Vineyard Haven. She was the widow of Seth Thomas Jr., fifth generation descendant of the original Seth Thomas, famous clock maker of Thomaston, Conn. He died on December 20, 2000, at their home in Oak Bluffs.
Mary Jane was born in Inlet, N.Y., in the Adirondacks, daughter of Archibald George Delmarsh Sr. and Laura Marie (Kirch). She graduated from Wellesley College, Class of 1936. Along with her husband Seth, she was a resident of Thomaston, Conn. for many years before moving to Martha’s Vineyard, having had a summer cottage on the Edgartown Great Pond since 1957 and a home in Waterview Farm, Oak Bluffs, since 1966.
Mary Jane, also known as M.J., and in later years as Mary, was an intelligent, beautiful, healthy, and loving woman. She and Seth provided a home centered around family and friends with an emphasis on the appreciation of, and gratitude for, the simpler things in life. Music and laughter filled the air, as well as tantalizing aromas of home-made bread, pies, and cookies, delicious meals, and a wide variety of tasty desserts that she prepared. Seth and M.J. had 64 loving years together.
She is survived by two daughters, Penelope Thomas, and her husband, Orrin Parmelee, of Gobles, Mich., and Katherine Thomas Dryfoos, of Oak Bluffs. She leaves behind nine grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, three nephews, seven nieces, many cousins, and their families. She was also predeceased by her son, Seth Richard Thomas II, who died on April 6, 1998, in Cleveland, Ohio; her brother, Archibald George Delmarsh Jr., who died on August 31, 2001, in Grant’s Pass, Ore.; and her daughter-in-law, Mary Beth Landers Thomas-Butterfield, who died on Oct 3, 2007, along with her second husband, Dr. Spencer L. Butterfield, in Cincinnati. A nephew, Harry David Delmarsh, died on June 15, 1993.
Calling hours were held on October 13, at the Lyon’s Funeral Home in Thomaston, followed by a graveside service on Thursday, October 14, at the Hillside Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718.
For more information or to express words of comfort and sympathy to Mary Jane’s family, please visit www.lyonsfuneralhome.com