Mrs. Lillie Mae Thurman

Lillie N. Thurman, age 83, passed away at Riverside nursing home on June 26, 2022, after a long illness. Lillie Mae Naglie Thurman was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, on July 9, 1938, the daughter of the late Kenneth N. Naglie and Edna Hadley Naglie. When she was still a child, her family moved to Peterborough, N. H., the hometown in which she grew up. After graduating from Peterborough High School, she received the Associate of Arts degree from Boston University and, later, the Bachelor of Arts in Education degree from the University of Michigan. She was gifted as a teacher, and she taught for a number of years in Mount Clemens, Mich.; Americus, Ga.; and Thomaston, Ga. Her five children grew up in Americus, and she was active in many organizations there, taking leadership positions in the Newcomers Club, the Band Parents Club, and Presbyterian Women in her church. She was especially active as a Girl Scout troop leader; the annual cookie sale benefitted from her organizational skills. In Thomaston she became the moderator of the Presbyterian Women organization. Many of the women in the church have acknowledged that without her leadership, the PW group would have disbanded. Among her great loves were animals, especially cats. She never had fewer than two or three cats in the house, and often many more. All of her pets had been rescued from one fate or another. She rescued two of her cats and one of her dogs from the local animal shelter, whose work she much admired. She enjoyed travelling here and there, taking a train across the country to California, where she lived for a year when she was 21, and making many trips with the children back to New Hampshire for summer visits with her mother. In her later years she was able to visit Texas, Colorado, and other western states. Reading, cooking, and writing were among her favorite pastimes. Although she had unfulfilled dreams of becoming a published author, anyone who received a letter she had written treasured her words and delighted in her writing skills. She was a loving mother and grandmother, and she always welcomed everyone into her home. She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Earle H. Naglie II. She is survived by her husband of almost 60 years, William R. Thurman, Jr., daughters Rebecca Thurman, Kathryn Grier, Victoria Thurman, Jennifer (Robert) Wright, and son Christopher Thurman. Also surviving are five grandchildren: Carter Thurman, Harrison Thurman, Jackson Hardy, Olivia Hardy, and Caroline Wright. In addition, she is survived by a brother, James K. Naglie of Peterborough, N. H., a niece, two nephews, and numerous great-nieces and nephews. She is also survived by five beloved cats: Denver, Lucy, Maple, Masie, and Sparky. Memorial gifts may be made to the Upson County Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 1152, Thomaston, GA 30286. A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, July 9, at First Presbyterian Church, at 2:00 p.m. The family will receive friends from 1:00 PM until the service hour at the church. The service will be streamed at www.fletcherdayfuneralhome.com. Fletcher-Day Funeral Home of Thomaston is in charge of all arrangements.