Kathleen Harrigan Thomas

Kathleen Thomas, an artistic soul who crafted a multicolored life, passed away in New Orleans on July 22, two days shy of her 88th birthday.

Born and raised in the Irish Channel neighborhood of New Orleans. Kathleen had been a resident of Jefferson and Folsom, as well as more than four decades in Terrytown, where she and Gary E. Thomas, her beloved husband of 55 years, raised their family. Kathleen was predeceased by her husband as well as her parents, Daniel George and Ida Mae Harrigan, and her sister, Eileen Harrigan McGaffic.

Kathleen was the loving mother of four children: Karen Stall (Charles), Kristin Thomas (Jay Andry), Kevin Thomas, and Kyle Thomas (Rene’). She was also the proud Gran to 11 grandchildren [Charles T. (Shana) and William Stall; Samuel (Megan), Jacob (Lesley), and Kathryn (Willis Spurlock) Engro; Kaiden and Korbin Thomas; Brady and Kamryn Thomas, Sydney Franks, and Mia Cantrell], as well as 6 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Faye Harrigan McCluer of Katy, TX, as well as many nieces and nephews.

A 1956 graduate of Redemptorist High School, Kathleen spent most of her life combining her art and craftmanship with business. She and Gary were the owners of Ceramics West in Gretna, LA, where Kathleen taught many hobbyists how to create their own ceramic treasures. She and Gary then parlayed Kathleen’s talent for brushstrokes and color into Faces, Etc., in the New Orleans Riverwalk where they sold her hand-painted ceramic masks, jewelry, and other creations along with her daughter, Karen. Many visitors to New Orleans from around the world left the Big Easy with a Kathleen Thomas original. Ultimately, Kathleen found her true self by using oils and acrylics to create the canvases that so many love and adorn their walls with.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Kathleen volunteered at the Mary Joseph Residence for the Elderly in New Orleans by teaching residents – not surprisingly – ceramics. She also maintained membership in the Westbank Art Guild and later as an officer in the Metairie Art Guild.

Art and color were her passion. A true understatement is Kathleen’s love of purple. Frankly, Prince had nothing on Kathleen’s self-declared propriety of purple. The only time Kathleen wasn’t sporting a shade of lilac, eggplant, hot pink, or mauve was when she was wearing black & gold for her beloved New Orleans Saints. (Rest assured that even then, she was donned in purple jewelry or undergarments.)

Many thanks go to the staff of Our Lady of Wisdom in New Orleans and the staff of Notre Dame Hospice for caring for Kathleen in the last year of her life. Her memorial service and interment are private, and Mothe Funeral Home handled the arrangements. 

Please, no flowers. However, for those who wish to commemorate Kathleen's life with plants, the family encourages planting a tree, which was something dear to Kathleen's heart.