Thomas, Helen Ann (Schimpke) 12/2/1933 – 11/19/2024 Dexter, Chelsea, and Elk Rapids, Michigan and Nokomis Florida, age 90, passed away peacefully on November 19^th, 2024, at Trinity (St. Joe’s) Hospital in Ann Arbor.  She was surrounded by her life partner, William Bruce McCuaig (Bruce), her children, family, and friends. 

Helen was born in Detroit in 1933 to Anna (Berglund) and Albert John (Gus) Schimpke, their third child.  She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1955 where she met her husband, Edward Joseph Thomas (Joe, d. 7/11/1978). She became a schoolteacher, raised three children, and lived a large and wonderful life centered in Ann Arbor and Dexter, Michigan.  Family came first for Helen, but games of all kinds and The Maize & Blue came in a close second.  She was a master bridge player and a fierce competitor and wanted to teach the world how to play.

Helen was an educator, entrepreneur, and active in the community.  She lost her beloved husband in 1978 to post-polio complications after only 23 years of marriage.  Shortly after Joe’s passing she renewed her studies and received her master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Eastern Michigan University.  Immediately after earning her degree and seeing a need in the community, she purchased an old Victorian house on Ann Arbor Street in the center of Dexter.  She made the necessary renovations to open the Little Gingerbread House in 1981.  She ran the preschool for more than 20 years and, before retiring, transitioned the school to its dedicated teachers. Before it closed in 2012, the preschool graduated hundreds of kids, many of whom remain in the area and remember “Miss Helen” fondly.  She also endowed an ongoing annual scholarship fund at Dexter High School for young women committed to attending the University of Michigan and pursuing a science and math (STEM) major, a field not encouraged for women in her day.

Not shy of investing in real estate and ready to avoid Michigan winters, she purchased a home in Nokomis Florida, a short bike ride from the beach, and she and Bruce became snowbirds.  Helen and Bruce also bought a summer home Up North on the shores of Elk Lake in 1997.  Many thought she was a bit “nuts” to own and actively maintain three houses well into her into her 80s, but Helen and Bruce loved to welcome the children, especially the grandchildren, and countless other family members and friends, who enjoyed visiting and keeping her real estate portfolio well attended.  The still running family joke for the grandkids in all her homes was that the only rule at Grandma’s was: “There are no rules!” 

Helen led a full and active life.  She and Bruce were avid travelers and loved adventure. They were able to travel the globe visiting more than 50 countries and all 50 states throughout the years, bringing back literally hundreds of T-shirts many of which remain in her kids’ and grandkids’ dressers to this day.  She wouldn’t dare miss out on anything and her family can safely say her bucket list was empty.  Helen was an active theater goer and ardent supporter of the Encore Theater in Dexter and Interlochen to name a few.  She loved to listen to Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Mel Torme.  She was a self-proclaimed PITA (pain in the a**) and founder of the PITA Society — she had a lot to say to everyone. 

She is survived by her three children: Donald Dee Thomas, David Mark Thomas (Julie), Susan Jane Thomas (Michael Wendorf); and six grandchildren Caroline Leigh Thomas (William Lewis), Weston Andrew Thomas, Joseph Harris Wendorf, William Elias Wendorf, Bennett Pearce Thomas, Clara Jane Thomas (who last year coincidentally lived in Mosher Jordan, the same University of Michigan dorm and on the same floor as her grandmother did in 1951), and her partner-in-crime, Bruce McCuaig.

The family will be holding a private memorial service.  If you feel so inclined, please consider planting a tree or two in Helen’s memory:

…or donating to the Encore Musical Theater Company in Dexter:

https://theencoretheatre.org/support/.