Wauneta Thomas

Wauneta M. Thomas, of Olathe, Kansas, passed away peacefully on June 29th, 2026. Wauneta was born in Roscommon County, Michigan on December 15th, 1928. Her parents were Peter Parker and Myrtle (Blaisdell) Parker.

As one of five children, she was four years old when her family moved to Newberry, Michigan, attended Newberry area schools and later moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Wauneta married James Elwood Thomas in 1954 and together they had three children and made their home in the Kansas City area.

Not one to settle, Wauneta decided a nursing career was what she wanted to pursue. While raising her children, she began a career as a Nurse’s Aide at Research Hospital and completed her LPN. She went on to earn her degree as a Registered Nurse (RN) and worked until 1990 when she retired and moved to Lake of the Ozarks.

She loved her years at the lake, especially those weekends when the family would join her for boating, hiking the lake roads and some extremely competitive wiffle ball games. Wauneta’s passion for caregiving extended to her volunteer jobs at the local Versailles, Missouri Meals on Wheels and the area animal shelter where she fell in love with all the dogs, bringing a good number of them home with her. Wauneta was an avid KC Royals fan, and you would often find her sitting on the deck or the dock with her radio and scorebook, tracking every play, season after season.

Wauneta was preceded in death by her parents, Peter and Myrtle Parker and her three brothers; Warren Parker, Harvey Parker, and Stanley Parker along with her sister Vera McMullen and her son, Mark Thomas (survived by his wife, Denise). She is survived by her son, James Thomas (Anne), daughter, Gail Donovan (Daniel); granddaughter, Rachel Thomas (Matt); grandson, Jacob Thomas (Linda); grandson, Samuel Thomas (Liam); grandson, Derek Donovan (Taylor); granddaughter, Erin Donovan (Scott); grandson, Zachary Donovan (Kathy); granddaughter, Devan Thomas; grandson Dylan Thomas and great grandchildren, Cooper Evans, Abby and Maya Thomas and Brayden and Bentley Donovan.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Wauneta’s memory to ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).