Joyce Angie Jackson Thomas was born in Elgin, Texas on November 22, 1947, to Roy D. Jackson and Etta Mae Moore. Mrs. Thomas grew up in Bastrop County and accepted Jesus Christ at an early age, joining Union Hill Baptist Church where her family were members. She graduated valedictorian from Emile High School in 1966. She then graduated cum laude from Huston-Tillotson College in Austin, Texas with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1971. Mrs. Thomas went on to earn her Master of Arts degree in History from the University of Michigan in 1972 and began her teaching career at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. Mrs. Thomas met her husband, Truman, on campus at Huston-Tillotson College; they married on September 1, 1973, and had one daughter, Anjya, in 1983. The couple lived in Rochester, New York for a short time before settling in Dallas, Texas. There, Mrs. Thomas was a faithful member of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church for many years until her health failed. Mrs. Thomas worked in Human Resources and as an insurance agent at Allstate Insurance Company. Returning to her true calling to help children, Mrs. Thomas switched careers to become a middle school special education teacher in 1990, where she served for 15 years. She concluded her education service as an administrator for assistive technology for the Dallas Independent School District. Mrs. Thomas is preceded in death by her grandmother, Larthulie, "Mama Sug" and grandfather, Leon, "Big Daddy"; her parents, Roy D. and Etta Mae; and her two brothers, Rev. Aubrey Jackson and Larry Jackson (Pauline). She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Truman, her daughter, Anjya (Ben), her two granddaughters, Everett and Nora, her sister, Sharon Walker (Rev. M.C. Walker), sisters-in-law Carolyn Jackson and Mary Thomas (Derrick), brother-in-law Henry Thomas and many nieces, nephews and cousins.