Mary Thackham

Mary Loretta (Mills) Thackham, 84, of Fenton and Brimley, MI, and a recent resident of Fond du Lac, WI, passed away Wednesday, August 31, in the arms of her eldest daughter, Lori, and was welcomed into the arms of her Lord and Savior, following many treasured moments spent with loving family throughout her brief stay at the Hospice Home of Hope in Fond du Lac, WI. She was born on November 30, 1931 in St. Johns, Michigan, to the late Ernest Francis and Marguerite Esther (Henney) Mills. Mary found the love of her life and wed Richard Perry Thackham from Newberry, MI, on July 19, 1957 at the Potter Park United Methodist Church in Lansing, MI. They shared 54 years together. Following graduation from Breckenridge (MI) High School, and during the Korean War, Mary enlisted in the United States Women's Army Corps (WAC). A petite four feet, eleven and one half inches tall, Mary was granted a waiver for not quite meeting the minimum height requirement of five feet. Her military basic training was in Fort Lee, VA, directly followed by her military occupation training at Fort Sam Houston, TX. She proudly served as secretary to the Chief of Staff in the hospital outpatient clinic at Fort Riley, KS for the duration of her enlistment. Following her military service, Corporal Mills pursued her business training in Lansing, MI, including mastering use of the comptometer, a forerunner to our high tech tools of today. Mary leveraged these skills working as an administrative assistant at the Michigan Liquor Control Commission. Throughout her long life, even into her twilight years, she remained intrigued by computer advancements. She relished online research including genealogy, current national news and local events happening in the many communities in which she had resided. Mary loved her computer. It allowed her to keep in touch with her family and friends through email, Facebook, and Skype. Mary proudly, lovingly and skillfully embraced her ultimate chosen career as a homemaker, stay-at-home mom, and caregiver. She placed the highest value on spending precious time and experiences with her husband, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Mary is survived by her four children, Lori (Michael) Hunt-Hudon of Otsego, MI; Brigitte (Dean) Johnson of Fond du Lac, WI; Kathleen (Winifred Sartoris) Thackham of Milwaukee, WI; Richard (Dana) Thackham of Walled Lake, MI; six grandchildren, Jonathan Hunt, Rachel (Johnson) Fox, Erik (Becca) Johnson, Kirk Johnson, Hughston Thackham, Hunter Thackham; five great-grandchildren, Taylor and Haley Fox, and Mackenna, Aubrey and Parker Johnson; nieces and nephews, Shirley (Gary) Mikesell, Randy (Becky) Wolfe, Patty Jo (Mark) Edgar, sisters-in-law, Carol Thackham, Laura Nebel, and Lois Santer; brother-in-law, Gerald Thackham, as well as many other special nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Preceding her in death were her husband, parents, and her dear sister, Betty Woods. Visitation will be held at Sharp Funeral Homes, Fenton Chapel, 1000 Silver Lake Road, Fenton, on Tuesday, September 6, 2016 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Services will be at Sharp Funeral Homes, Fenton Chapel on Wednesday, September 7 at 11 a.m. followed by a service with full military honors at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, MI. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Hospice Home of Hope, Fond du Lac, WI (920) 906-1000. Tributes may be shared on the obituaries page of www.sharpfuneralhomes.com.

Visitation

Tuesday, September 6, 2016 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Sharp Funeral Homes - Fenton Chapel
1000 Silver Lake Road Fenton 48430, United States