Katherine Elaine Thomas “Kathy”, 65, of Grand Rapids, Oh, passed away September 7, 2026 at Brookdale Memory Care Center in Bowling Green, Ohio, following a courageous three-year battle with brain cancer.
She was born October 15, 1960 in Bowling Green, Ohio. The daughter of Robert H. Panning and Virginia R. (Helberg) Panning, and sister to Kurt Panning. She graduated from Eastwood High School in 1979.
On May 12, 1990 she married Roger E. Thomas at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Pemberville, Ohio, and are proud parents of Benjamin Ryan Thomas and Jacob Henry Thomas.
Her early years began helping her father and brother at the Pemberville Tractor Sales keeping records and driving the delivery truck. She was a Big Sister for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and a Sunday school teacher at Bethlehem Church. She then worked at Ag Credit before beginning her 29-year career at the Bowling Green Municipal Court. Judge James Bachman suggested she take business classes at BGSU where she completed a two-year degree. She would later become the Clerk of Court under Judge Mark Reddin.
Kathy took great pride in everything she did. As a young adult she was a member of the Bowling Green Jaycee Women, a junior leadership organization. When the women merged with the men’s organization Kathy was the first female President of the new Bowling Green Jaycees. Here she would meet Roger. While in Jaycees, she won numerous state and national awards and received a Senatorship, the highest award offered by the National Jaycees. Kathy and Roger enjoyed many years of Jaycee activities and made many lifelong friends.
Not ready to fully retire, Kathy continued working for Otsego Schools in the cafeteria, then as a bus driver until her cancer forced her to step aside. The Wood County Agriculture Society asked her to become secretary of the Fair Board. She would soon expand her duties to include that of the treasurer. Kathy loved the fair and put her heart into making sure that the records were kept accurate.
Kathy’s greatest joy was her family and participating in all of her son’s activities, including the role of cub scout den leader. Her favorite hobby was scrapbooking. Her scrapbooks will be a timeless reminder of her love for Ben and Jacob and their years growing up. She spent many years assisting the Otsego FFA as a chaperone to conventions and delivering food the to FFA workers at the National Tractor Pulls. You could find her watching the NTPC Pulls from the front row on the south track. Kathy received an Honorary Otsego FFA Degree in 2018.
A member of St. Mark’s Lutheran church, Kathy was proceeded in death by her parents, Robert and Virginia, and brother Kurt. Left to cherish her memory are her husband Roger, sons Ben and Jacob, nephew Cory Panning, special friends Tanya and Suzi, and a community of friends too numerous to list. She will be sadly missed by all who knew her.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the Doctors and staff at the Mercy Cancer Center in Perrysburg, the Grand Rapids Care Center, Brookdale Memory Care, and Bridge Hospice for their wonderful care and dedication.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Otsego FFA.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at Deck- Hanneman Funeral Home, Bowling Green. Her Celebration of Life service will be held on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 11:00 am at the funeral home. Interment will immediately follow at Beaver Creek Cemetery, Grand Rapids.
Online condolences as well as fond memories may be shared with the family by visiting www.hannemanfuneralhomes.com.
