Sarah Ready Thomas
Sarah Ready Thomas, 42, of Charlottesville, VA died after a fatal heart attack on October 23, 2023.
Born December 3, 1980, in St. Louis, Missouri, Sarah was the daughter of Barbara and David Thomas and sister of Laura Thomas. Sarah was preceded in death by maternal grandparents Mary Ellen and Arthur Anderson, paternal grandparents Amy and Warren Thomas, Uncle Greg Thomas, Aunt Sarah Anderson, and Aunt and Uncle Susan Anderson Kerr and John Kerr.
Sarah was bright, with a quick wit and great sense of humor, as well as extremely creative. As a child, she played the cello brilliantly and would improvise tunes on the spot to prompts like “a hippo crossing a busy highway”. Sarah’s childhood friends remember her as an “incredible friend“ with an “infectious laugh”. Sarah loved being the “big sister” to Barbara and David’s Goddaughter, Kalyn Rushton, who loved for Sarah to swing her around in the yard and told her Mom that “Sarah makes me smile in my heart.” As Sarah got older, her main form of expression was poetry, which she wrote prolifically, as well as drawing and painting. She wrote poems up until the day she passed. Sarah was fiercely loyal and quick to stand up to injustices she saw in the world. She especially loved animals, including her two great rescue dogs, Cooper, a basset hound mix now passed, and Tucker, a black and tan hound. It was important to her to adopt from rescue organizations to give neglected dogs a better life. Sarah also loved horses and had a natural riding ability. Sarah graduated from Clark University with a BA, Magna Cum Laude, in Communications in 2004, and from Boston University with a MS in Advertising in 2010. After college, Sarah and her best friend Toni loved traveling to music festivals together. Words from Barbara’s wonderful previous boss echoed many voices when he said: “Through you, Sarah touched many people she never knew, such as ourselves. We will always remember her for her strength and resilience over so many years.”
Sarah is survived by her parents Barbara and David Thomas of Charlottesville, VA, sister Laura (Mary) Thomas of Durham, NC, Aunt and Uncle Nancy and Bob Farmer of Bartlesville, OK, Aunt Sue (Greg) Thomas of Dewey, OK, Cousins Jamie (Travis) White, Thomas (Christy) Farmer, Lance (Angel) Knight, Luke (Amanda) Thomas, Troy Thomas, Ellen (Matt) Kiely, Andrew (Linda) Kerr, and all of their children. Sarah is also survived by her beloved rescue hound Tucker, who her parents have adopted.
A small memorial for Sarah will be held at a future date.
In lieu of flowers, Sarah's family would appreciate donations to be made to Homeward Trails Animal Rescue; specifically, to their Helping Happy Hounds program. Donations can be made at: https://www.homewardtrails.org/donate-in-memory/
Tribute name: Sarah Thomas
Notificant name: The Thomas Family
Notificant address: 285 Rosemont Dr. Charlottesville, VA 22903
Under “Comment” please put "for Helping Happy Hounds program"
