Ellen Marie (Foley) Thomas

Ellen Marie (Foley) Thomas, 58, passed away unexpectedly Sunday, February 23, 2025, at her home in Hastings, NE.

Rosary will be at 6 p.m. Friday, February 28, and Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 1, at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Hastings with Father Craig Clinch officiating. A private burial will follow at Blue Valley Cemetery in Ayr, NE. Visitation will be 5-6 p.m. Friday, February 28 at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, and one hour before the service at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials in her name may be gifted to the Hastings Catholic Schools Teacher Pay Endowment. The service will be live-streamed on Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home’s website. To view the service, go to Ellen’s obituary and click the play button shown towards the bottom of the page. 

Ellen was born on November 15, 1966, in Alliance, NE, to Emmett and Thelma (Erny) Foley. She was the youngest of six children and loved working with her father on the farm in western Nebraska. This is where her faith and love for family first developed. She had a special love for their cattle, especially Liz, her favorite cow. 

She graduated from St. Martin’s Academy in Rapid City, SD, in 1985 and subsequently completed her bachelor’s degree in biology and master’s degree in veterinary and biomedical science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She married Troy Thomas at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Lincoln, NE on May 7, 1994.

Her marriage was blessed with four living children, Olivia, Alexander, Victoria, and Thomas, as well as three children in heaven. Her children were her pride and joy. Ellen spent more time caring for those around her than she had time in the day. She had a deep devotion to the Rosary and Sacred Heart of Jesus through Eucharistic Adoration. She is our best friend, and she will be unspeakably missed; we look forward to our reunion with her through the resurrected Lord.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Emmett and Thelma Foley, and sister, Regina Foley.

Ellen is survived by her husband, Troy Thomas; children Olivia (Manuel Vasquez), Alexander (Catie Wilson), Victoria, and Thomas; as well as siblings Martha Foley, Susanne (John) Fuerst, Jane (Michael) Langemeier, William (Trudy) Foley; and multiple nieces and nephews.