Our beloved sister in Christ and elder in our church, Bonnie Lau Thomas, passed from earthly life into the life eternal on March 3, 2024.
A memorial service was held Friday, March 8 at First Presbyterian at 5:30pm, and is available to watch on the First Presbyterian Memphis Facebook page. Please continue to keep the Thomas family in your prayers. Bonnie (Lau) Thomas passed away on March 3rd, 2024, after bravely battling lupus. Bonnie was born on February 26th, 1972, in Hong Kong, the daughter of Sanford Lau and Mei Kwong, and the grandchild of Chan Yee Fong and Kwong So. She is survived by her son, Leland Thomas; husband, Robert Thomas; siblings, Jeffrey Lau and Raquel Kwong; and her mother. Despite her young age, Bonnie led an extraordinary life, residing in Hong Kong, Connecticut, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and Tennessee. She reinvented herself numerous times and experienced more than most. Her journey led her to Memphis, where she met Rob and became a mother. She found joy and purpose in motherhood, as reflected in the loving notes she would leave in Leland’s lunch every day. Bonnie possessed an amazing sense of humor, a beautiful laugh, and was known for her kindness, generosity, intelligence, compassion, humility, and drama-free demeanor. Her glow attracted many people to her, and her friends often describe feeling like soulmates the moment they met her. She was a true believer in God and Christ Jesus. As a child in Wilton, Connecticut, she was deeply influenced by a former missionary who visited her school every Wednesday and engaged her in conversation during lunch. In Memphis, she became an elder and leader of the Love Your Neighbor and Outreach committees at First Presbyterian Memphis, passing her faith onto her son. Bonnie cherished her community in Memphis and contributed to it by volunteering with her son every other week, engaging in activities such as renovating the Clothes Closet, cleaning graves at Zion Cemetery, and interviewing the homeless downtown population to help build an outreach website. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her. Our hearts are shattered by this unexpected loss, as she was truly one of a kind. To have been loved by her was a true blessing. |