"I am sorry this is delayed. We didn't see the notice until the GP News.
I was on the administrative staff of The Grace Hospital from 1961 to 1980. I will always remember Murray as an extremely nice man. And, of course, he was considered an exemplary physician.
On a more personal note, we traveled (in our van) to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone in the summer of 1976 with the oldest of our seven children. We left home with Nancy experiencing some back pain. Although not one to complain of pain, it became so bad in a couple days after we reached the Tetons, Nancy decided to fly home to obtain care. She has always remembered how she enjoyed the pain medicine (a Manhattan - maybe two!) on the plane! Knowing she would receive excellent care from Murray at Grace (and with our oldest two sons, 19 and 18 at home), we took our time to travel home. In addition, with no cell phones, we were not able to contact her Denver brother and family who were on their way to meet us at Yellowstone!) - so we carried on, calling home periodically. Murray performed diagnostic procedures and a laminectomy before we arrived home. The results were excellent and Nancy, at 80, has had no reoccurance of back pain. So your father has been mentioned often over the years and that will continue as long as we are around.
When Nancy had a knee replaced in Dec. 2011 at Beaumont GP and was in the rehab room, I saw your father being wheeled into a nearby room. I left a card with a male relative in the corridor in case Murry was well enough to have a visitor - I forget if it was a son or a son-in-law.
Nancy and I wish sincere condolences to the family of Murray and Pauline Thomas.
Tom Coles, M.D."
In loving memory of
L. Murray Thomas
September 23, 1922 - December 26, 2012
THOMAS, Dr. L. Murray; December 26, 2012. Beloved husband of the late Pauline. Loving father of Murray (Steve Davis), Kathy Siebert (Terry), Geoffrey (Kelly), Gregory (Michelle), Christine Bassett (Greg), and Patricia Bekowies; dearest grandfather of 17 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. He is also survived by his beloved sister Margaret Ann Taylor.
A Memorial Gathering will be held from 2-8pm, Friday, December 28th at Chas. Verheyden Funeral Home, Inc. 16300 Mack Ave, Grosse Pointe Park, MI.
A Memorial Service will be held, Saturday 3pm at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, 16 Lakeshore Drive, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI.
Donations may be made to:
L. Murray Thomas, M.D., Endowed Chair in Neurological Surgery Department of Neurological Surgery c/o Wayne State University 4201 St. Antoine, 6F-13 UHC, Detroit, MI 48201. Light a candle and share a memory at www.verheyden.org
Tributes
"Love you Dad! Our love is always with you."
"Love you Dad! Our love is always with you."
"Love you Dad! Our love is always with you."
"wonderful, fun times I was able to share with your parents and I treasure memories that will keep my heart warm always! I wish I could have been in Grosse Pointe with all of you this afternoon. I'm sure it must have been a beautiful service, as was Pauline's. Unfortunately...driving down was my problem. I took a bad fall last September and ended up with damage to both rotator cuffs. I have been working hard at physical therapy ever since to avoid surgical repair. The good news is that I can now do almost everything I need to....including driving. But I don't have a lot of endurance yet and haven't been driving long distances because the shoulders tire if I over extend....so I thought I should not try that lengthy road trip just yet. Instead I spent my time during Murray's service thinking about the 35 years of our friendship and looking at pictures of our antics while remembering the fun.... our voices 'singing' around the piano at the Berkshire Christmas parties; .your Dad's plan, in full traditional costume, to 'bagpipe in the New Year but unable to blow enough air because he was laughing and piping at the same time;....his utter amazement when Pendragons holding tank gave out after Pauline decided to 'clean' it by pumping in a lot of nice fresh water... and so many, many more funny, crazy times we shared!! And then there was his love of cooking..providing girth and mirth to all of his friends!! We loved him. I hope that any of you who find yourselves near Frog Hollow will call me (231-271-6104) and come for a visit. I have lots of beds...and would love to see you again. You are such a remarkable and fun group of kids...yes, you'll always be their 'kids' in my mind. What a great legacy your parents have left. Much love to you all....and when the sadness passes, and it does in time, I know you will always share the warmth, love, humor, friendship and great spirit that I think of whenever I think of Pauline and Murray. Hugs to all, Barbara Coye "
"I am truly blessed to have met and be a part of Dr. Thomas's life for the past year. I had the opportunity to witness the love within his family that was genuine and sincere. I am going to miss him dearly, he was an amazing man, father, grandfather and friend to many! You touch my heart Dr. Thomas and I will be forever grateful. Thank you for allowing me to be a special part of your life. "
"I am so sorry for your loss. I am truley thankful for the oppertunity to take care of your father. He is truley a blessing from God. I wish I could have known him longer than the 6months that I had with him. Thank-you to all of you for inviting me into your beautiful family. I will truley miss Dr.Thomas and his warm smile and kind heart. He is an amazing person whom I am very blessed to have met. Love to you all "
"I am so honored and blessed to have known and taken care of this wonderful man. The Thomas family is truley an example of what "family" means. I will so miss you and your warm kind smile. "