Mary Katherine Thomas, 75, passed away at 7:35 p.m. Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at her home in Altamont.

Memorial services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, October 24, 2012 at Dutch Ridge Baptist Church with burial in Dutch Ridge Cemetery, Pomona. Visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday afternoon at Bauer Funeral Home in Effingham. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Barnes Jewish Hospital Cancer Unit in St. Louis.

Mary Kathryn was born November 5, 1936 in Murphysboro, the daughter of Ernest and Luella (Woll) Piper. She married Donald Tripp and later married Hilton Thomas, both of them preceding her in death.

Mary Kathryn is survived by two daughters, Dorothy (Phil) Collins of Myrtle Creek, OR and Kathy (Troy) Welker of Effingham; two sons, Michael Tripp of Gardnerville, NV and Patrick (Alexandra) Tripp of Hutto, TX; one brother, William (Joyce) Piper of Dixon; eleven grandchildren, Adam, Stephanie, Christian and Alexander Collins, Johnathan and Caitlyn Tripp, William, Trenton and Christina Zumwalt, Savannah and Brandon Tripp; three step-grandchildren, Lisa Miller, Angie Wimmer and Becky Lewis; eight great-grandchildren, Sage, Willow, Leah, McKenzie, Karly, Ailyn, Jayden and Klayten.

Mary Kathryn was preceded in death by her parents; husbands and one son, Russell Tripp.