THE family of the late Mrs. Clara Lillian Louise Thomas went all out to ensure that their final tribute at her homegoing service at Bethel AME Church, Shelly Bay and the celebration of life reception following her burial at St. Mary’s Church, Warwick, was in a style compatible with the lady who had become an extraordinary icon in the community.The death of 66-year-old Mrs. Thomas, during an illness at the end of a visit to her daughter Marquita in South Carolina, came as a great shock to her many friends and admirers.

And it followed by some three years the passing of her equally flamboyant and entrepreneurial husband Freddie. He had a style of his own, befitting the former boxing champion that he was, as well as promoter in Bermuda of some of the big-name personalities in the sports and entertainment world of the US, that they also hosted at their residence, Fighters-Top, in Hamilton Parish.

Clara, as she was affectionately known far and wide, “had entrepreneurial instincts that helped form the bedrock for the many Thomas family businesses”, according to the obituary read by her younger son Belcario. Her first foray was opening her Claral’s Beauty & Barber Salon, following her graduation from the Apex Beauty School in New York.

Upon her marriage in August 1958, she teamed up with her husband in many enterprises — among them the United Family Shoe Store of three locations; the United Arcade & Ice Cream Shop on Queen’s Street; the United Security Company; the United Video Store; the Fred W. Thomas & Family Construction Company; the United Imports and Exports Company and, finally, Four Star Pizza chain, now known as Upper Crust.

Consistent with his peculiar style, Freddie built his own tomb in the St. Mary’s churchyard. And it was distinctive by the fact that he had tiled it himself, receiving wide coverage when he called the media in to inspect it. Clara was laid to rest with him in that grave.Following her committal the hundreds paying their last respects wended their way to St. Mary’s church hall for an hour-long power point presentation on highlights of Clara’s life and, of course, that of her husband. It was narrated by son Marico. The hall had been set up theatre-style, with the chairs covered in white, tied with pink ribbons. A tent erected on the lawn outside was where the mourners repaired for all the food they could eat, provided by the kitchens of Upper Crust.Mourners had been urged to wear pink to the funeral and reception. As a child, Clara’s mother always dressed her in pink, and as a result her father fondly called her “Pinky”. It was a nickname that stuck and almost became a family way of life.

The union of Clara and Freddie produced four beautiful children, Bethanne, Marquita, Marico, and Belcario. One feature of the marriage was the unique and highly publicised manner they marked their wedding anniversaries.

Each year Freddie pushed his wife for miles along the public highway in their “love wheelbarrow”. It was a sporty modified pink wheelbarrow outfitted with cushions, lace, an emergency brake and umbrellas.My photos show the casket of Clara Thomas being borne to her tiled tomb by sons Belcario and Marico and family friends. Three of the Thomas children and grandchildren pose beside the famous “love-wheelbarrow” on display outside the reception hall. Daughter Bethanne and brothers Marico, right, and Belcario are with grands Micha, Safiya and Kristi. Below left was the setting inside the reception hall where a power-point presentation on the life of Clara was viewed