Glennyce Linné Thomas passed away on March 17, 2024, at age 72.

She was born in Fairbury, Nebraska on September 11, 1951, the third child of Harry William
Broeder and Linnea Gustafson Broeder. She joined siblings Dale and Gene, followed by
Phyllis and Barbara. Her father was a rancher who moved the family from Nebraska to
Hamilton, Montana, then to Corvallis, Montana, and then back to Nebraska in the town of
Whitney.

Glennyce frequently talked about her childhood growing up on the ranch in Montana. As a
young lady, she loved to be around the animals, especially the horses. She was known for her
very full head of long wavy reddish-brown hair.

After graduating from Montana Institute of the Bible, she moved to Seattle in 1975 to work for
her Uncle Cliff Gustafson at the Columbia Baptist Conference. She attended Elim Baptist
Church in Seattle, where she met her husband Stephen Roy Thomas. They were married on
September 23, 1978 at Elim Baptist Church. They raised two children, Sarah and Spencer.
They celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in 2023.

Glennyce was a loving and caring wife, mother, sister, mother-in-law, grandmother (she was
called Mormor by her two granddaughters, which means grandmother in Swedish), and friend
to many.

Her faith in God never wavered. She loved reading the Bible, singing her favorite hymns, and
praying for those around her. She took much delight in the beauty of God's creation, and
frequently commented how the beauty of the world played an important part in her faith and
understanding of God. While living in Kingston, the family attended Indianola Community
Church, where Steve's parents Bill and Shirley Thomas also went. When she and Steve
moved to Steilacoom, they attended Oberlin Congregational Church, where she became
involved in the Stephen Ministry program to provide one-to-one care to those experiencing a
difficult time in life. After Steve's retirement, when they moved to Mossyrock, they listened
online to sermons by Pastor Mick Berberian at Elim Baptist Church.

Glennyce took much joy and pride in the raising of her children and talked frequently about
her philosophy of how to be a good parent. She was determined to give Sarah and Spencer
the opportunities that she had not received when growing up, seeing to it that they did well in
school, were involved in music and sports, and had ample time for friends, church, leisure,
reading, and creativity. Most important to her was that her children felt her unconditional love.
Spencer recalls how fierce she would become when the school district did not live up to her
high standards, remembering her making many long and passionate phone calls to teachers,
principals, and school board members to ensure that both he and Sarah received the best
education possible. Spencer and Sarah also remember how she set the expectation that the
night before school they had to be in bed by 9pm sharp with backpacks fully packed, clothes
for the next day laid out, lunches made, and everything else ready to go so nothing would be
missed. She would then greet her children in the morning with breakfast already made. She
prioritized rest and nourishment for her family.

She embraced her Swedish heritage that came from her mother's side of the family. She kept
little Swedish touches throughout her home, including books and calendars of paintings by
Carl Larsson. A gift she always loved to receive was lingonberry jam, a Swedish specialty. She
made it a family tradition to celebrate the Scandinavian holiday of St. Lucia, complete with
homemade Lucia buns and fruit soup. She even took Swedish language classes with Sarah in
Seattle in 2003. In her later years, she loved seeing her granddaughters perform in Poulsbo's
Norwegian folk dance group.

Glennyce had a finely tuned taste for beauty and how things should feel, placing high value
on sensibilities and creativity. She often reminded people that she was a right-brained person.
Spencer recalls that the best way to communicate with her was not through the use of logic
but instead through tenderness and appealing to her sensibilities. She loved the beauty of the
natural world, classic hymns and choral music, warm-toned natural fiber clothing and
handcrafted wood furniture, people who were genuinely tenderhearted, potted geraniums,
and things that were personal like family heirlooms. Spencer recalls that she could not pass
by a beautiful tree or charming home without commenting on its positive aesthetics -- and
the reverse was also true. She loved going for walks in nature, doing watercolor paintings of
landscapes and animals, and working in the vegetable or flower garden.

An avid reader, she was always devouring books -- fiction, non-fiction, biographies, poems,
and scripture. Her favorite books and shows focused on natural beauty and animals, such as
"The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" by Edith Holden, "A Timbered Choir: The Sabbath
Poems" by Wendell Berry, "Meeting God in Quiet Places: The Cotswold Parables" by F.
Lazard Smith, the children's books "Barn Dance" and "Owl Moon," the TV show "All
Creatures Great and Small" based on the books by English veterinarian James Herriott, and
the movie "Secondhand Lions."

Glennyce was a thoughtful, conscientious, gentle, smiley, kind lady who took a deep interest
in the lives and wellbeing of others. She made friends wherever she went, and made it a point
to try to stay in touch with people. Her love language was love in any form: hand-painted
cards in the mail, phone calls, emails, visits, home-cooked meals for Steve or others, hugs,
kisses, deep conversations, mending of clothes, sharing of books, going for walks with
others, gifts, video messages with her children, and sharing a smile. She loved hosting family
and friends. When visitors departed, she would always wish them a fond farewell with a
twinkle in her eye and her phrase "thanks for coming, no thanks for leaving."

She was a resilient person who made light of hardships in her life. She survived two stagefour cancers -- breast cancer in 2001 and brain cancer in 2004 -- the treatments for which
took a significant toll on her body. Despite these circumstances, she remained adamant about
looking on the bright side of life, laughing despite her misfortune, and encouraging others
who were also going through similarly hard times.

Glennyce is survived by her husband Steve, her daughter Sarah, her son Spencer, her son-in-law Jonathan, her daughter-in-law Michelle, and her two granddaughters Anna and Heidi.

Glennyce's memorial service will be on April 16, 2024 at 2:30pm at Elim Baptist Church, 2410
N 46th St, Seattle, WA, conducted by friend and Pastor Mick Berberian.