Margaret (Marge) Jane Thomas was born May20, 1942, in Seattle, Washington to John and Mila Swanson; and was the oldest of their three children. Marge graduated from Ballard High School in 1960 and worked for Boeing for a year before going to college where she met her husband, Larry.

She graduated from Western Washington University and began her teaching career at Mount Vernon High School and earned her Master's Degree while working there. In 1971, she accepted a business teaching position in Anacortes where she remained for the rest of her career. She also taught night classes at Skagit Valley Community College for several years. Marge stayed in the educational field for 42 years; the last 15 as an Administrator at the High School. During many of these summers, she was a teacher-leader for the People to People Student Ambassador Program, an organization that travelled abroad with students. This ignited her passion for travel and she loved to visit new places and learn about the different cultures throughout the world. During the span of her career in education she touched the lives of thousands of students.

Marge was a very giving, caring and down-to-earth person. She loved her family, her friends, travelling and cooking. She was always willing to help and considered a "doer" by those who knew her. If you wanted something done, all you had to do was put her in charge.

Family was of the utmost importance to her and she enjoyed hosting get-togethers to bring everyone together. Birthdays and special occasions for family members were never missed and the holidays were a time to gather and celebrate with family. She adored her grandchildren and spent as much time as possible with them. Her friends were a significant part of her life as well, and she loved to socialize, travel, and stay in touch with a large network of friends.

One of her missions in life was to help others and she spent much of her time doing charitable work. She was always the first to volunteer if someone needed help, and after retirement she became very involved in Soroptimist, where for several years she was Co-President of the Fidalgo Island Group.

Recently she was honored with the Woman of Distinction Award. She was also a strong advocate for preventing human trafficking and participated in programs to do so. Helping others and educating both youth and adults were two of her true passions.

She is survived by her husband, Larry and her two children and their spouses: Jeff (Lisa) Thomas and Julie (Jason Cain). She has two siblings: John and Marie Swanson and five grandchildren: Conner and Braden Thomas; Hunter, Jeffrey and Carly Johnson. Her five nephews: JC, Mike and Bo Swanson; and Jessie Scrimsher and Erik Swanson were also part of her extended family.

Services will be held at Anacortes Lutheran Church at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, 2017.

Arrangements are in the care of Evans Funeral Chapel of Anacortes, WA. To share a memory of Marge, please sign the online guest register at www.evanschapel.com