December 12, 1918 – February 27, 2013
Biography
The world lost an extraordinary lady when 94 year old Christiane Marie Thomas died peacefully February 27, 2013. She was born in Paris, France in 1918 to parents Albert Hannot and Valentine Martin. Christiane was nine years old when her family moved to Chateauneuf de Grasse, a village in the hills above Nice, in Southern France where she lived until the beginning of WWII. Christiane was an accomplished classical pianist who was accepted as a student in the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels Belgium during WWII. She later became active in the Piano Study Club in Tulsa, OK. and her favorite composer was Claude Debussy. In August 1945 after the WWII “VJ Day”, Christiane met her husband, Lieutenant Russell Thomas on a train travelling from Cannes, France to Nice. They were married six months later in France and they moved to Tulsa, OK in 1946.
In 1955 Christiane contacted the Alliance Française headquarters in Paris, France (whose mission is to promote French culture worldwide), to request an application to form a Chapter of the Alliance Française in Tulsa, OK. Christiane was a founding member (and later a twice past President) of the organization we know today as “Alliance Française de Tulsa” (one of the first chapters West of the Mississippi River charted by the Alliance Française in 1955). Christiane was also a French teacher at the former Holland Hall “eight acres” campus for approximately thirteen years until she retired in 1982. She was an intellectual lady who inspired her students and many friends. She also had a great sense of humor.
“Good things come in small packages”
Christiane was a sweet but also strong willed, capable, sophisticated, gracious lady who was always unselfish, grateful and humble. Christiane was also a very social person and she had a great love for life. She was always positive, upbeat, pleasant and fun. She loved the Arts and volunteered as a docent for the Gilcrease Museum where she also performed French translations.
Christiane was preceded in death by her husband Russell Thomas, her parents, her brother George Hannot and his wife Blanchette who resided in Brussels, Belgium. She is survived by her son George Martin Thomas, her daughter Claire Earlene Thomas, many close friends and family members of her late husband Russell Thomas. . Many thanks to the caring staff of both Hope Hospice and the Villages at Southern Hills. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Christiane’s memory to Catholic Charities in Tulsa (918) 949-4673.
Services
Memorial Service
Monday, March 4, 2013 at 2:00 PM
Holy Family Cathedral
Facts
Born: December 12, 1918
Place of Birth: Paris, France
Death: February 27, 2013
Place of Death: Tulsa, OK
Occupation: Retired French Teacher at Holland Hall
Claire, George,
Please accept my condolences for your loss. Your family has been very good to me at a difficult time and I will forever be grateful for the grace and the warm hospitality, and certainly for the support. Your mother is one of those people that make an indelible mark on one’s life. I have always remembered her and some of the things she said. It took me years, no decades, to understand how wise some of that advice really was. I wish you all the very best.
Jeannot