Audrey Faith Thomas

(nee Slater) entered eternal life on November 15, 2024. She was born to Herbert and Rosalie Slater (nee Mitchell) in 1938.

A 1956 graduate of Camden Catholic High School, Audrey attended Temple University School of Nursing, where she earned her RN. She subsequently earned her bachelor’s degree from Glassboro State College.

Nursing was Audrey’s true vocation. She began her career as a surgical nurse at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. In the years to follow, she used her gifts as a nurse for students at Bancroft School in Haddonfield and Camden High School. When her daughter Mary Beth was diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome, Audrey used her skills to help found and lead the Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association, helping the medical world to recognize that the disorder wasn’t as rare as previously thought but, rather, rarely diagnosed correctly. Through her work with RSDSA, she improved the lives of countless patients.

Audrey was an amazing wife, mother, mom-mom and friend to all. Her gentle hands shaped the lives of her family, leaving an impression that will last for generations. She was a model of faith, spending her life in the service of all those who were blessed to know her.

She is survived by: her loving and devoted husband of nearly 64 years, Bill; her daughters, Terry (Mike) Gruley, Mary Beth (Greg) Champlin and Kathryn Thomas (David Fabian); grandchildren Erin Gruley, Mo (Justin) Burgin, and Paige and Jillian Champlin; brother- and sisters-in-law Joe and Marge Thomas, Frances Thomas and Annamarie Thomas; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews; and the wonderful nurses and aides at United Methodist Communities at Collingswood, who loved and helped to care for her for more than eight years.

A visitation will be held on Tuesday, November 19, beginning at 9:00 a.m. at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church at 200 Windsor Ave. in Haddonfield, New Jersey, followed by the mass of Christian burial at 11:00. Interment will be at New St. Mary’s Cemetery in Bellmawr. For those who cannot attend the funeral in person, you may view the livestream at ctkhaddonfield.org/live-stream.

In lieu of flowers, Audrey’s family suggests donations to Cathedral Kitchen in Camden or the Lymphoma Foundation of America. She would smile to think that, in remembering her, you are helping others.