Carol Ann Woodruff Thomas, 85
Carol Ann Woodruff Thomas, 85, a mother and devoted wife, dedicated volunteer and friend to so many, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 21, 2022, in Dover, Idaho, with her children by her side, after a brief illness.
Private family services have been held.
Carol served the Philanthropic Education Organization raising money and supporting educational scholarships and grants for aspiring young women for over 50 years, and locally in Sandpoint, Idaho, she was active in the Community Assistance League, bolstering the community through education, service and philanthropy.
Ever a joiner, Carol raised money for the Panida Theater in Sandpoint and served on its board and was a member of the Cocolalla Cowboy Church. She could always be relied on for a helping hand, a burst of energy and creative ideas for good causes. Carol and her husband Barry migrated from Southern California to the mountains of Idaho 20 years ago.
Carol was known for her skills and enthusiasm for any and all games of skill and chance. She was a master bridge player, a skilled mahjong player and relentless player of Mexican train, a winner at Yahtzee, bettor on the horses, at the tables and even a consistent winner with scratch tickets. Tennis was her game in her younger years.
She dabbled in real estate, painting, crafts and held down the fort while her husband Barry was away on movie shoots as a sound mixer throughout his career. She would say that “luck favors the adventurous,” and she was all of that.
Friends played a major role in her life since she was a child. Many of those friendships lasted to this day. In and around Sandpoint, she built a posse of close friends who supported one another, volunteered, improved the community and played countless rounds of bridge and mahjong.
Carol Ann Woodruff Thomas was born May 14, 1936, in Burbank, California, to Ray and Maude Woodruff, Arkansas transplants who built a prosperous clothing business in North Hollywood, California. She attended North Hollywood High School, and met her husband Barry at Valley Junior College, marrying in 1956. Barry predeceased her, as did her parents and her sister Dolores.
She is survived by her daughters and son, Cathy (Bill) Holl of Scottsdale, Arizona, Jennifer (Tony) Klemmer of Newport, Rhode Island, and Dean Thomas of Spokane Washington; her sister, Nancy Maxwell of Indio, California; eight grandchildren, Lt. Col. Mike Holl (Carolyn), Lindsay Holl Gillon (Dan), Jack Klemmer (Leia), Charlie Klemmer (Eleni), Ray Klemmer, and Dan Klemmer, Ivy Pulis (Grayson) and Olivia Thomas; and one great-grandson, Hunter Thomas Holl.
She will be forever remembered for her spirit, her sense of humor, her ready laugh, her gambling spirit, and her get up and go.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Panida Theater, Sandpoint, ID (panida.org/support) or the PEO (peointernational.org/contributions-peo-foundation).
Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Carol’s online memorial at www.lakeviewfuneral.com and sign her guest book.
