Thomas

A kind word and a beautiful smile were a typical combination for city centenarian Roxie (Harris) Thomas, who is being remembered for her lasting dedication to her church and community.

For more than 80 years, Thomas remained a passionate Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church member before taking over as the parish historian, where she preserved and spread vital history. She also contributed to the Sallie Harris Missionary Ministry, named in honor of her mother.

Meanwhile, she belonged to the NAACP, Women of Color and volunteered for 25 years through the nonprofit organization Meals on Wheels.

She passed away from natural causes at the age of 102 on Feb. 4 at the Graystone Grande Palazzo.

“The community and church suffered a great loss,” friend Charles Dupree said. “She was a wonderful role model to every life she touched.”

Home and hospitality

Born on May 21, 1923, to Sallie (Ivey) and William Henry Harris Sr., Thomas was the youngest of 11 children and the only sibling born in Pennsylvania. She was also the last surviving member of her immediate family.

Religion played a central role in Thomas’ early life, as her family became members of Mount Zion Missionary Church at the start of their lives in Altoona.

Thomas then graduated from Altoona High School in 1941 and attended Penn State Altoona before marrying the late Mahersal “Bonnie” Thomas on Jun. 15, 1943 — a union that lasted 74 years until Bonnie passed away on Sept. 8, 2020. Together, they had one son, Dwayne. She is survived by her son Dwayne and daughter-in-law, Sharron; two grandsons and four great-grandchildren.

Thomas became a licensed practical nurse after completing her studies at Altoona High School Vo-Tech as a co-honoree in theory and application. She then worked at the Altoona Hospital.

Dupree met Thomas during the late 1960s after moving next door to Sallie Harris in Altoona.

While Thomas made friends with Dupree’s parents, Dupree hung around Thomas’ niece and nephew.

In the summertime, Thomas would frequently take her family and friends to Shawnee State Park, where Dupree remembers partaking in cookouts, swimming and other summer activities.

“She was a classy woman, very eloquent,” Dupree said.

Her hospitality also stuck with David Jenkins, who is married to Thomas’ niece, Debbie.

When they would stop in at Thomas’ farm home during the 1990s, Jenkins remembers watching television with Bonnie Thomas, while Debbie and Roxie Thomas talked at the kitchen table.

Roxie Thomas would always “serve me something to drink and a snack to eat,” Jenkins said. “Those were great memories.”

While maintaining a generous spirit, Jenkins said Thomas had a gift for writing, being an avid book and poetry reader throughout her life.

“For someone 102 years old, she had such an outstanding memory,” he said, adding that she remembered various life events and frequently recited quotes or events that sounded rehearsed.

Her retention skills also poured into her life’s work at Mount Zion, where she helped inform the Rev. Keith Moore of the church’s history when he was new to the parish 13 years ago.

Keeping faith

A couple of years ago, Thomas did a “marvelous job” while giving a presentation of the church’s robust history to a group of older women, Moore said.

According to Blair County African American history, Mount Zion was created in 1839 when Black Altoona citizens were given a worship space. When they purchased a storefront located between Fifth Avenue and 22nd Street, the space was used as an Underground Railroad station, helping slaves escape to freedom.

Thomas was also passionate about the word of God, Moore said, because she lived out her faith through working with her mother’s missionary ministry that provides Mount Zion community members with flowers or cards during funeral arrangements.

Thomas “touched so many, from the young all the way up,” Moore said. “She loved her family and her family loved her.”

Before Bonnie Thomas died in September 2020, Moore and the church’s first lady, Ruth, awarded both Bonnie and Thomas a pastoral honor that recognizes members who remain dedicated to the church.

As Mount Zion’s oldest member, Thomas’ mind remained sharp into her 100s, Moore said, as he remembered two Sundays ago when Thomas asked about Moore’s church sermon.

“It touched my heart,” Moore said.

After Thomas passed away on Wednesday morning, Jenkins watched about 15 Graystone staff members line the halls when Thomas’ body was taken to the morgue.

Jenkins said it was a “great honor to them who had cherished our aunt.”

Looking at Thomas’ dedication to the church, Jenkins said she was “Baptist born, Baptist bred, and when she died, it was a Baptist death.”

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.