Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

December 16, 2021

Ann Davis Thomas, beloved and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, colleague and friend passed away on December 16, 2021 at the age of 88.

Ann had a deep and quiet faith, a genuine concern for those in need and a willingness to respond. She was loved by friends of all ages who were attracted to her keen wit and fierce loyalty. A role model to many younger women, Ann’s leadership style was one of grace as she boldly met challenges facing her community.

Ann was born on September 2, 1933 in Tyler, Texas. She graduated top of her class from Sherman High School where she was Queen of Sherman High. She was a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.  

After college, she worked at the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington D.C.  While there, she met the love of her life, Edward Hill Thomas who was Chief of Staff to Congressman Charles R. Jonas. They married September 8, 1956, and lived in Charlotte, North Carolina where they raised their two daughters. 

Although Ann always considered herself a Texan, she embraced her new community and became a visionary who held herself to the highest standards of excellence. As one of Charlotte’s most respected leaders, Ann was the first woman to Chair the United Way’s Social Planning Council and later was elected Chair of United Way’s Board of Directors. She was the first woman appointed to serve on the Charlotte Civic Center Authority. As President of the Junior League of Charlotte, she helped found Youth Homes and the Drug Education Center. When asked to run for County Commission, she accepted the challenge and won her race. She was the first Director of the First Union National Bank Foundation.

​After her retirement, Ann further ​pursued her philanthropic passions and was one of 20 women to launch Women of Vision Charlotte in 2000 and Co-Chaired the organization a few years later. Ten years later, at 77, Ann accepted the invitation to Chair Women of Vision’s Strategic Planning Committee. ​She derived deep meaning from the work and developed wonderful friendships that endured until her last days.

Ann was predeceased by her mother, Lena Palmore Davis, her father Charles Kerwell Davis, Jr and her husband of 53 years, Edward Hill Thomas. She is survived by her daughters, Ann Stevenson Colley and Carolyn Hill Davis, and grandsons, Daniel Robertson Stevenson III ​and Charles Davis Colley.

A memorial service will be held at Myers Park Presbyterian Church ​on ​March 31, 2022 at 2:00pm. The family will receive guests at the Church immediately following the memorial service. Ann will be buried with her husband at Arlington National Cemetery at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Lena Palmore and Charles Kerwell Davis Endowment, Children’s Medical Center Foundation, 2777 Stemmons Freeway, Suite 700, Dallas Texas 75207.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC; 28204 (704) 641-7606. Online condolences can be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.