The funeral of Mae Thomas (July 27, 1917 – Jan. 31, 2026), who lived to be 108, took place on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, 10 a.m., at the Mae Thomas, 29 Claver Place, Brooklyn, New York 11238.
She had a life that read like a living record of New York’s civic and cultural evolution, family members say.
Long rooted in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, the family told Caribbean Life on Tuesday, Feb. 19, that Thomas remained “present, engaged, and involved in community life for decades.
“Her civic work and community presence brought her into proximity with New York political luminaries, including Shirley Chisholm, Bella Abzug, and John Lindsay,” the family said.
Born in Cordele, GA, and educated in Detroit, Thomas arrived in New York City in 1939 with only a few dollars to her name, the family said.
Soon, members said Brooklyn became home, and the neighborhood became the ground she stood on for a lifetime.
Soon, members said Brooklyn became home, and the neighborhood became the ground she stood on for a lifetime.
Between her arrival in New York in 1939 and her start at IBM in 1967, family members said Thomas built her Brooklyn life the way many women of her era did, through work, family, and community.
Family members remember her as “sharp with numbers and steady under pressure, someone people trusted to keep things organized and handled.
Family members remember her as “sharp with numbers and steady under pressure, someone people trusted to keep things organized and handled.
In 1967, they said Thomas began working at IBM, where she rose to president of the IBM Club, served as treasurer of the IBM bowling team, and organized recreational activities and connections for coworkers.
“Witness to an era shaped by technological acceleration, she intuitively understood that people are not machines and that community must be nurtured,” family members said.
They said Thomas’s proximity to public leaders was not social; it was a service.
“Witness to an era shaped by technological acceleration, she intuitively understood that people are not machines and that community must be nurtured,” family members said.
They said Thomas’s proximity to public leaders was not social; it was a service.
Family members said she was a community organizer who participated in voter registration and civic outreach, including block association engagement and neighbor-to-neighbor organizing, to help residents understand what was at stake and how to exercise their power.
They said she canvassed, helped mobilize voter participation, and supported elders and neighbors in getting to the polls and staying informed.
Family members said she also spoke with the community on behalf of issues important to the constituency, including quality-of-life concerns and the day-to-day realities shaping a neighborhood, such as housing stability, education, sanitation, and public safety.
Family members said she also spoke with the community on behalf of issues important to the constituency, including quality-of-life concerns and the day-to-day realities shaping a neighborhood, such as housing stability, education, sanitation, and public safety.
“This on-the-ground advocacy placed her in proximity to leaders such as Shirley Chisholm and Bella Abzug, and within the broader civic ecosystem of New York during the John Lindsay years,” they said. “She was a true advocate for democracy, not in theory, but in practice.”
Over the years, they said Thomas was publicly honored for milestone birthdays and her enduring impact.
They said she received an official letter from President Barack Obama for her 100th birthday. New York later recognized her through proclamations issued by Letitia James, Laurie Cumbo, and Walter T. Mosley. A
They said she received an official letter from President Barack Obama for her 100th birthday. New York later recognized her through proclamations issued by Letitia James, Laurie Cumbo, and Walter T. Mosley. A
Congressional proclamation issued by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries later recognized her 105th birthday celebration, family members said.
They said Thomas was known for “presence, timing, and truth, delivered without hesitation.”
They said Thomas was known for “presence, timing, and truth, delivered without hesitation.”
Family members described her as “unfiltered” in the way only real elders get to be, with “a grown-folks mouth and a holy sense of humor.”
A favorite family anecdote captures her voice and spirit in one sentence: “Baby, you need to be in a Catholic church so you can kneel, because standing is not serving you.”
A favorite family anecdote captures her voice and spirit in one sentence: “Baby, you need to be in a Catholic church so you can kneel, because standing is not serving you.”
Family members said Thomas also maintained enduring friendships with members of the Tuskegee Airmen, “rooted in respect and real connection.”
As a testament to her integrity and loyalty, Family members said Thomas said it plainly, in her own words: she never, ever lost a friend.
Thomas raised four children: Munir Ali, Amina Al-Amin, Deborah Thomas, and Marlene Steele. She is survived by Munir Ali and Marlene Steele and was preceded in death by Amina Al-Amin and Deborah Thomas.
Thomas raised four children: Munir Ali, Amina Al-Amin, Deborah Thomas, and Marlene Steele. She is survived by Munir Ali and Marlene Steele and was preceded in death by Amina Al-Amin and Deborah Thomas.
Her legacy continues through seven grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, 14 great-great-grandchildren, and six great-great-great-grandchildren.
The family also shared that Thomas was a mother and Nana to many within the community and beyond.
The family also shared that Thomas was a mother and Nana to many within the community and beyond.
The family also honors Marlene Steele for “extraordinary devotion.” They shared that Steele’s service “went beyond caregiving, restoring and sustaining her mother with patience, endurance, and devotion aligned with her Muslim faith.”
The family shared a toast that remained part of Thomas’s signature voice: “May you live forever and I never die.”
