Obituary - Angela Thomas Gilson

GILSON, Angela Thomas, 55, passed peacefully on September 15, 2024 surrounded by the love of her family after a two-year battle with ovarian cancer.

Angie was born in Roanoke, Virginia, on March 26, 1969, but moved to Richmond as a toddler. She graduated from Douglas Freeman High School and earned her BS in Accounting from James Madison University, making lifelong friends along the way. She began her career as an auditor at Coopers & Lybrand before moving on to accounting and finance positions at AMF Bowling and Circuit City. She then worked part-time at Avalon Bay, her brother’s orthodontic practice, and HOPE Church to allow her to dedicate her attention to her most important role as loving mother, fun “Auntie,” and caring friend to many. After the kids were grown, she returned to work at The Image Group before retiring to concentrate on her health.

She loved to make others’ days brighter, often quoting Maya Angelou, “…people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” She was happiest hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, sharing a good meal with those she loved, or digging her toes in the sand at the beach on family vacations and weekend getaways with friends. She loved being outdoors, whether on a family hike or training for the half marathon with the HMTT Zebra Team. During her short remission, she was determined to run the 2023 Richmond Half Marathon and finished the race with a smile on her face.

A member of HOPE Church, Angie drew amazing strength and resilience from her faith, which carried her through the most difficult times and enriched the best days. We will miss Angie tremendously, but are comforted knowing she will live on in Christ and in the hearts of those who love her.

Angie was preceded in death by her mother, Sandra Crabtree Thomas, brothers Charles Preston Thomas, Jr. and Shawn Draper Thomas; grandparents, Robert Smith and June Gulliford Crabtree, Rachael Draper and Oscar H. Thomas; and father, Charles Preston Thomas. She is survived by her husband of 30 years, R.J. Gilson, her children Carter Gilson (Mary Miley) and Kenzie Gilson; nieces, Aynsley Thomas Cosby (Stuart), Kathron "Taylor" Thomas, Christi Thomas Gilbert (John), Breanna Thomas Kittrell (Todd), Alana Thomas, Kristen Gilson, and Lauren Gilson; nephews Justin Thomas (Bobbie), Hunter Thomas, Matthew Gilson (Gabby), Conner Gilson, and Tyler Gilson; and many loving cousins, family and friends.

A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, September 23, 2024 at 11 am at HOPE Church, 12445 Patterson Ave., Richmond, VA 23238. The service will also be available online at https://www.youtube.com/@HopeChurchRVA/streams for those who cannot attend in person.

Angie asked for this service to be celebration of life and wanted people to dress colorfully; it is only fitting that we celebrate her colorful life in a colorful fashion. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you consider making a donation to Tina’s Wish to help fund research into the early detection and prevention of ovarian cancer – tinaswish.org.