Julia Anne Thomas-Mahler

Julia Anne Thomas-Mahler passed away at her home in Concord, NC on February 6, 2023 at the age of 60.  She was preceded in death by her parents, Walter Raymond Thomas and Beverly Edgerton Thomas, both of Bay Village, OH.  She is survived by her husband, Carl Mahler, and her daughter, Kristen Anne Emily Mahler, both of Concord, NC;  her daughter Victoria (Blumenberg) Phan of Las Cruces, NM;  her son Steven Michael Blumenberg of Trinity, Florida;  and her grandsons Oliver Phan, Henry Phan, and Aleks Jester.  

Julia was a talented singer, touring Europe as a soloist in a chorale following graduation from Cheltenham High School in Cheltenham Township, PA.  Her love of the theater started while she was in high school and continued for the remainder of her life.  She attended Marymount College in Washington, DC, studying design.  She worked for many years in the advertising department of KraftMaid Cabinetry in Cleveland, OH.  She subsequently worked as the Director of Religious Education for St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Berea, OH where she wrote and directed numerous creative, non-traditional Christmas Pageants;  her Christian Education classes were so popular with her class of middle-schoolers that they actually brought friends with them to church on Sunday mornings to learn from her.

Her death followed a seven year battle with ovarian cancer.  Each year after receiving her diagnosis she adopted a new word for that year.  The year she was diagnosed (2016) it was "Survive".  In 2017 it was "Alive".  2018's word was "Chai" (Hebrew for "Live"- although she was a cradle Episcopalian, she had a great love and respect for the Jewish religion).  2019's word was "Hope", while 2020's was "Joy".  2021 was the year for "Family", while in 2022 she adopted both "Thrive" and "Peace". Fittingly, 2023 was the year that she chose "Complete".

Through all of her medical challenges she never lost her drive, her smile, or her sense of humor, developing deep and loving relationships with her caregivers and her fellow cancer patients.  Her life will always be an example of abundant living to those who knew her, and her memory will always remain a blessing.

In lieu of flowers the family request that donations be made to tealdiva.networkforgood.com for ovarian cancer support. (And yes that's Julie's picture - second from the left - on the landing page).  

Burial will be at Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery.

The funeral will be live streamed from the Brown Kannapolis Mortuary Facebook page.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Julia Anne Thomas-Mahler, please visit our floral store.