Jessie Inez (Miller) Thomas, 93, passed away on December 27, 2023, at West Vue Nursing Home in West Plains, Missouri. She was born on April 27, 1930, to Alonzo and Lilly (Novotny) Miller.
Inez married Leslie Ellett, and to this union, one son, Dewayne, was born in 1947. Later on she married William Thomas, and to this union, two sons were born, Ricky in 1952 and Rodney in 1958.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Alonzo and Lilly Miller; both of her husbands, Les Ellett and Bill Thomas; her son, Dewayne Ellett; siblings, Elsie Hargroves and husband, Tom, Chester Miller and wife, Eva Grace, Roy Miller and wife, Edna, Dan Miller and wife Maxine, Walter Miller and wife, Dorotha, Irene Smith and husband, Raymond, Orval Miller and wife, Annie, and Clarence Miller and wife, Violet.
She is survived by her sons, Rick Thomas and his wife, Patty of Chino, CA, and Rod Thomas and his wife, Kim of Chino, CA; daughter-in-law, Lorraine Ellet of Marshall, AR; grandchildren, Wayne Ellett, Brandy Thomas, Stephen Thomas, Reannon Thomas, and Maygan Thomas; as well as a host of great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
Inez was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother who was devoted to her family. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Mountain View, Missouri. As the youngest of nine children, with six of them being boys, Inez always said she was her dad’s favorite. She liked telling of the time, when he told her to go to the spring for a bucket of water, and she responded by telling him to get it himself. She would laugh and say he followed her all the way to the spring and back with a switch in his hand. She also said when she was very young, she asked her dad where he got her. He said, one day he was walking along Barn Hollow and saw her sitting on a lily pad where she was so cute that he picked her up and took her home with him. Another story she told was of her “ornery brothers” who touched her mouth with a grapevine they were smoking, so she wouldn’t tell on them since she would be telling on herself also.
After returning to Mountain View from living in California, she enjoyed many fun times with her friend, Treva Brewen (Toots), her sister Irene Smith, and niece, Jeanie Winchester. For the last fourteen years of her life, Inez lived in the West Vue Nursing Home, where she was cared for by a staff that loved her gentle smile and pleasant attitude. She was at peace with her family and with her faith in Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Inez will be missed by everyone who knew her and are looking forward to seeing her again one day in heaven.
A Celebration of her life will be held Friday, January 5, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Yarber Mortuary, Mountain View, Missouri, with Chaplain David Ball officiating. Visitation will be held prior to the service from 10-11:00 a.m. also at the funeral home. Interment will be in Greenlawn Cemetery next to her husband, William Thomas, and near grave sites of many of her brothers and sisters. Condolences may be expressed at www.yarbermortuary.com.
