Thelma Marie Craver, 94, of Kingman went to heaven on December 4, 2023 with family by her side.  She was born on November 29, 1929 in Saskatoon Canada to Anton and Vada Olson.  She was the youngest of 8 children and was the last to pass away.  With her passing, this wonderful generation has now moved to the next phase of their lives in Heaven.  We envision Thelma (Mom) now dancing away with her beloved husband Don who passed away 15 years ago and having a reunion with family and friends who passed before her.  Thelma is survived by her three children Douglas, Sheri and Steven; Doug’s wife Lynda; her 4 grandchildren Justin, Jason, Leah and Sarah; others that considered her mom; many nieces and nephew; and loving friends.  Thelma will be missed by all of her relatives throughout the U.S. and Canada in addition to her many friends she had in Kingman, Phoenix, around the country and most recently at La Siena (an independent/assisted living community).   

Thelma was born during the depression and worked on the family farm growing up helping her mother and father with the chores so she developed a great work ethic at a young age.  She decided to continue her life helping others so she made a decision to become a nurse and graduated from nursing school in 1951.  She started her career in Canada at City Hospital where she worked in surgery for 1 year.  She talked about making 180.00/month and felt like she was rich.   She then had a desire to travel and meet other family members that lived in Minnesota.  She packed her bags and moved to Minnesota to continue her career as a nurse, get to know other relatives and begin her adventurous life.  After a year in Minnesota, another nursing friend and her decided they wanted to see more of the United States so they answered an ad for a nursing positions in Prescott, AZ.  She moved to Prescott in 1953.  This is where the Don and Thelma Craver life story began.  She loved the years she worked and lived in Prescott where she made life long memories and friends. 

Don and Thelma got married February 1, 1958 in Prescott, AZ.  Shortly after marrying, Don and Thelma moved to Phoenix where Don had been living and working.  This is also when she knew she would never return to Canada to live.  Douglas, Sheri and Steven were born in Phoenix.  Thelma became a stay-at-home mom during this period providing valuable guidance to her children as they grew up and entered school.  Thelma was quite involved in school activities and having played softball as a kid, became the catcher for Doug then Steve as they practiced their skills as a baseball pitcher.  Thelma continued that support for her kids as they grew up and got involved in school activities. 

A life changing decision occurred in 1968 when Don was offered an opportunity in Kingman Arizona to become a branch manager for an office and school supply store called PBSW.  Though Thelma was not very excited about moving her family to a small town like Kingman, in retrospect it ended up being a move that Thelma and the family did not regret.  Numerous memories and life-long friends were created in Kingman which continue to this day.  Thelma continued to be a stay-at-home Mom until the kids got out of elementary school.   She then went back to work as a Nurse at the Kingman Hospital in 1975.  She was highly regarded as an excellent nurse.  She continued her nursing career until 1988.  Thelma loved being involved and making a difference in peoples lives and the community.  For 19 years she volunteered her time and was in charge of a pediatric orthopedic clinic that occurred 3-4 times a year.  This allowed children in Kingman and surrounding areas to see pediatric orthopedic Doctors and orthotists.  This made a difference in 1000’s of childrens lives.  She was awarded volunteer of the year by Easter Seals for this work.    She was a Boy Cub Scout leader for multiple years when Steve was in Cub Scouts.  She was very involved with Grace Lutheran Church, which was the church the family became members shortly after moving to Kingman.  She was involved in many aspects of the church including the youth organizations, vacation bible study, adult bible studies, and other woman groups.  She joined Beta Sigma Phi Sorority in Phoenix and when she moved to Kingman transferred her membership.  She loved her sorority sisters and being involved in this organization.  One of her favorite things was being the neighborhood mom.  The Craver home ended up being the hang out spot for all neighborhood friends and she was famous for her Chocolate Chip Cookies and having a full Cookie Jar for all to partake in when they were visiting.  Thelma was also known for her handwritten cards and letters.  Family was very important to Thelma and Don and they instilled this is our family.  Although she lived miles away from her family in Canada it was important to her to stay in touch by writing, calling and traveling.  Craver family reunions in Prescott and visiting the Craver family in different states was a large part of her and our families life.  Family and Friends were the most important thing for Thelma.  Nurturing her relationships were a priority. 

Thelma continued to live in Kingman on her own after Don’s passing until reaching 90 years old.  At that point, some health issues created the need for her move to La Siena an Assisted Living community in Phoenix.  It was only 15-20 minutes from all her Children and Grandchildren.  Though she again wasn’t completely happy with this move, because she missed her friends and her home, it ended up being a great experience for her and her family.  By living so close we were able to spend many days together visiting her throughout the week and joining her at the “Happy Hours” and other “Holiday Events” that occurred at her community.  She loved the live music that occurred once a week at “Happy Hour”.  Though Thelma was not able to get up and dance she had many chair dances during these events.  By being in Phoenix she was also able to come to Doug, Steve and Sheri’s home for Holidays, dinners and visits.  She loved to reminisce about all the good times we had growing up, and her life.  She truly appreciated the dedication of her family and friends over the years.  She was grateful for her life and everyone that was a part of her life. 

The family is grateful for the multiple friends that helped mom over the years which allowed her to continue to live in Kingman on her own until she was 90.  We would also like to thank the employees and residents at La Siena for making her last 3 ? years an enjoyable and safe place to live.  We are grateful to Hospice of the Valley that provided her with services for the last 9 months. 

Having been very involved with Grace Lutheran Church for years with a special love for the Christmas Holidays, when Don passed some donations helped upgrade the Church Christmas Display by providing a new Christmas Manger Nativity Set.  Grace Lutheran Church needs to upgrade other Christmas Decorations.  They are in need of a new Christmas Tree and ornaments for the tree.  Other Christmas decorations may also be needed.  Thelma made some of the ornaments that are still being used on the tree.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Grace Lutheran Church or a charity of choice. 

A memorial service will be held on March 15, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, 2101 Harrison Street, Kingman Arizona.  Anyone who knew Thelma and all family friends are welcome to attend.  There will be a reception at the church after the service.  We will continue her celebration of life later that afternoon.  Specific time and location will be given at the memorial service at the church.  

Though we will all miss Thelma immensely, we feel she has now moved on to the next phase of her life in Heaven dancing away with Don again and meeting up with all her brothers and sisters who passed before her.  She will become a bright and shining star in the heavens and will continue to be a guardian angel for everyone she touched during her lifetime.