Maud Thomas

Maud Thomas, age 83, of Wayne and formerly, a longtime resident of Elmont, NY, Uniondale, NY and Queens Village, NY, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 3, 2021.

Maud was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She came to the United States in 1962 and initially lived near 104th Street and Broadway in New York City. She later moved to Woodside, Queens and then to Queens Village which she called home for twenty five years. She also lived in Uniondale and Elmont, NY before moving to Wayne this past November so that she could be closer to her son James.

One day while on a cab ride in Haiti, Maud’s life path crossed with that of a young man named Jacques Thomas. As was the cultural custom in Haiti, he later came to Maud’s house to visit so that her family could really get to know him. On subsequent visits Jacques brought his father and eventually the marriage plans were arranged. Maud and Jacques were married in 1959 and shortly thereafter, they were blessed with a son named James followed by their daughter Elizabeth. When they came to America in 1962, they were soon blessed again in 1972 with a third child – a son which they named Phillippe.

Maud was one of the most resourceful, determined persons you would ever meet. After going to school to get licensed as a beautician, she managed a hair salon near the former World Trade Center. She eventually moved on from there to return to the classroom to get certified as a lab technician. Her pursuit for certification hit a big bump in the road when, right before the final exam, she experienced temporary blindness due to a medical condition. Fortunately, because she was such a fine student, her professor allowed her to take the test orally and she passed with flying colors. When her vision eventually returned, Maud first worked at Long Island Jewish Hospital before landing her dream job at Smith Kline Laboratories where she was so proud to have been involved in research during the HIV crisis. In later years Maud worked in several doctor’s offices as a medical assistant before retiring in the 1980’s.

Outside of work, Maud had many other interests. She was a literal pro in the kitchen and her family were the fortunate recipients of her delicious cooking. A romantic at heart, she loved a great love song and would also be frequently found playing music from her Haitian heritage. In her heyday, Maud loved to dance and, being one who was always willing to try something new, she also explored her artistic inclinations by learning to paint. Maud loved to read and was fascinated with science and the wonders of medicine. She also loved current events and currently spent lots of time watching the news. In more recent years Maud found companionship with a long-time close friend named Fritz. She loved engaging in deep conversations with Fritz about what was going on in the world, often taking the counter position just for the sake of lively debate.

Above all else, Maud was truly devoted to her family. She would do anything for her children and she adored her grandchildren. To them she was “Mémère” and as their precious grandmother, they loved spending time with “Mémère” because she would teach them to speak French and comb their hair and just kid around with them.

Maud touched the lives of many souls during the course of her walk through life. She faced her challenges with a strong will, a lot of grit, and an always positive attitude which she attributed to her very strong faith in God. She would pray fervently and always believed that God was good and went everywhere with her.  

Maud was the most loving mother of James and wife Mary Ann Thomas of Wayne, Elizabeth Bony of Mount Prospect, IL, and Phillippe Thomas of Wayne, NJ. She was the adored grandmother of Isabelle, Deanna and Abigail Thomas, Peter Bony, and Javier Fontanez: cherished sister of Marie Therese and husband Réne Mondesir of Ellicott City, MD and the late William Mitchell; and dear aunt of Alix Mondesir, Réne Mondesir, Carine Mondesir, William Mitchell, Jr., Lloyd Mitchell, and the late Margaret Armand.