Mrs. Thies, 73, of Charlotte, departed this life for life everlasting on August 2, 2008, at her home. She was born April 23, 1935, in Columbia, South Carolina, the oldest child of the late Charles Boyce Rich, Sr., and Mary Janet Forshaw.
She was educated in the public schools of Winston Salem, Savannah, and Roanoke, and graduated from Myers Park High School in Charlotte, and from Duke University.
She was a member of Christ Episcopal Church, the Junior League of Charlotte, Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, The Charlotte Board of Realtors, and The Charlotte Assembly, of which she was a founding board member. She was a founder of Charlotte Latin School, serving for more than two decades as a Trustee of that institution; the school's Auditorium bears her name. She was a member of Charlotte Country Club, Charlotte City Club, and the Carriage House Club at Litchfield Plantation, South Carolina.
Deeply loved by family and friends, she loved them in return, and loved as well her Country and her God. Her commitment to truth, honor, and patriotism was absolute and unwavering. Her charitable activities were undertaken on a personal and direct basis as she sought to offer tangible and immediate help when she encountered need. She was active for many years in real estate sales, development, and management; earned her Graduate Realtor Institute designation; and was a licensed North Carolina General Contractor. She was meticulous in the practice of her profession, and built with sensitivity and grace. She greatly enjoyed the mountains of North Carolina and the beaches of South Carolina. Yet one of her greatest pleasures was working with Christ Church on homes being built for Habitat for Humanity; on these projects, she was typically to be found atop the highest levels of scaffolding, hammer or square in hand, installing siding or roofing.
She is survived by her husband of nearly 50 years, Frank R. Thies, Jr., and their children, Frank Ramsay Thies, III, of Spartanburg, South Carolina; Mary Janet Thies Hawkins and husband, George, of Charlotte; F. Boyce Thies, of Charlotte; J. Lawton Thies of Chicago, Illinois; and Charles Rich Thies, of San Francisco, California; by granddaughters Caroline Ramsay Hawkins, Mary Padgett Hawkins, and Julia Banister Hawkins; by a brother, Dr. Charles B. Rich, Jr., and sister, Lyttleton Rich Hollowell, both of Charlotte; by a sister, Boyce Rich Gyger, of Geneva, Switzerland; and by numerous nieces and nephews.
Special thanks are owed to Mrs. Thies' caregivers, who became more like family than simply her nurses, Tammy Ingram, CNA, Letrice Gordon, and Tanzania Austin; to her doctors and nurses at Mecklenburg Medical Group and at Carolinas Medical Center; and to the practitioners of Hospice.
A Service of Remembrance will be held at 2 o'clock on Wednesday August 6, 2008 at Christ Episcopal Church. Family will receive friends following the service in the Blue Room.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Charlotte Latin School, 9502 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC 28277, or to Christ Episcopal Church, 1412 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC 28207.
Harry & Bryant Company is serving the family of Mrs. Thies.
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