Alice A. Thoms passed away at Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center in Brush, peacefully meeting her Lord and family members at Heaven's gates on February 16, 2018. She was born the eldest of six children on June 7, 1925, to Leona and Arthur Wahlert in Hillrose, Colorado.

She left an indelible mark on the lives of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As their role model she exuded determination, a formidable work ethic and extreme loyalty.  Grammy, as she was lovingly named by her oldest grandchild, also instilled and revered the value of an education.

Although Alice didn't graduate from high school with a diploma that notated her brilliance, she mastered the requirements necessary to earn a diploma through alternative avenues.  Even though her eyesight was poor initially, she read voraciously; she loved mathematics; she worked diligently for her father in his beet fields, and she was her siblings' caretaker. It's the amalgamation of these academic and life skills that demonstrated her intelligence and passion for being a lifelong learner and honorary recipient of a diploma.

As a young girl on her father's farm, Alice met the man who would become her husband, Ivan Thoms. She was married to Ivan on November 30, 1942, in Sidney, NE.  Love connected these two in many ways. Having married just prior to his deployment, Alice and Ivan wrote love letters to each other during his triumphant journey as a medic during World War II. They were devoted parents to their sons, Eugene and Norman. They worked alongside one another at the gas station and mechanic's shop in Hillrose, Colorado. Across all of Ivan's employment endeavors, Alice was his companion. Finally, searching for Native American artifacts with their children and taking their grandchildren to the Prewitt Reservoir were also beloved familial pastimes.

Given the economic outlook related to the opening of I-76, Alice made a life-changing decision. She wanted to study at Northeastern Junior College to become a nurse. She expediently completed the necessary application and passed the entry exams with impeccable results. While Sunset Manor was her initial place of employment, she soon transferred her love of geriatric patient-based nursing to Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center. It is here that Alice became an inseparable element of Eben Ezer's fabric. She continued her nursing career for 30 years. Not only did Alice offer expert care and compassion to her patients, she was an exceptional Grammy to her great-grandchildren.

Alice spent quality time reading nonfiction books, developing a keen understanding of political parties and their motives, and playing the pipe organ in Eben Ezer's All Saints Lutheran Church. Even though her chronological age upon her passing was 92, she will continue to live on in the hearts, souls and minds of her survivors, including sisters Alta Griffin and Arta Everett and brothers Fred Wahlert and Bruce Wahlert; her son, Norman Thoms and his partner, Betty Deem; and daughter-in-law Rossi Thoms.

Surviving grandchildren include Darby (Christina) Wilson, Rachelle (Craig)Johnson, Art (Jennifer Proehl) Wilson, Lyndia (Ben) Grenis, Nicholas Thoms, Marcus Thoms, Renny (Mitchie) Thoms and Rob Thoms. Additionally, she leaves behind nine great-grandchildren: Zane (Jaki) Johnson, Darryann Johnson, Alex (Sawyer) Seward-Young, Braden Seward, Ivan Wilson, Maxx Hopping, and Sean, Kaylee and Baby Girl Thoms, along with numerous nieces and nephews. Most impressively, Alice met her great-great-grandson, Easton, the day before her passing. Her grandchildren will continue her legacy through learning, exploring, questioning, articulating diverse views, and raising their children with pious values and an education.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Marion (Pete) Wahlert, and son Eugene.

Services will be held at the Eben Ezer All-Saints Lutheran Church in Brush, CO, at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 10. Viewing will precede services at the church at 9:30 a.m.  In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in Alice's name to a charity of choice.