Marcia Thomas, of Hingham; worked for Nelson Rockefeller
Marcia [Strobridge] Thomas, a longtime Hingham resident who once served as a secretary in the office of former vice president Nelson Rockefeller, died of complications of scoliosis at her home Oct. 24.
She was 85.
Mrs. Thomas was born in New York City and graduated in 1945 from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., with a bachelor’s degree in history.
After graduation, she worked for three years as a secretary for Rockefeller, who would later become the 41st vice president of the United States and governor of New York.
Mrs. Thomas’s son, Richard R. Thomas of Wiscasset, Maine, said his mother was a secretary to another secretary in Rockefeller’s office.
She worked with Rockefeller when he was a liaison to Latin America.
“Mr. Rockefeller was very involved in Latin American affairs with the United States, and she did a variety of tasks for the businessman,’’ Richard said.
In 1949, Mrs. Thomas married Malcolm Brown, a longtime family friend, and they lived in Troy, N.Y., and South Egremont. They had a son, Malcolm, and Mrs. Thomas became a full-time homemaker.
In 1954, Mr. Brown died of Hodgkin’s disease, and Mrs. Thomas moved to Hingham to be closer to friends.
There, she met a widower, Robert Thomas of Hingham. They met in 1955 and married the next year.
With four children, Mrs. Thomas became involved in volunteer work and history- related activities, her son Richard said.
“She worked for several years in what was the Hingham Square Bookshop, run by a longtime friend of hers,’’ Richard said. “She absolutely loved being in downtown Hingham selling books to her friends.’’
Mrs. Thomas was associated with many community groups, including serving as a past president of the Hingham Visiting Nurse Association, and was a member of the Hingham Garden Club, Hingham Historical Society, and Hingham Yacht Club.
Mrs. Thomas also was a member of the Women’s Committee at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
“History was her passion, and she loved working at the museum, leading tours and holding social events,’’ Richard said.
In addition to her husband and son, Mrs. Thomas leaves a daughter, Virginia T. Sawin of Shrewsbury, and two other sons, Robert B., Jr. of Falling Waters, W.Va., and Malcolm B. of Albany, N.H.
She also leaves nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held today at 11 a.m. at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist, at 172 Main St. in Hingham. Burial is private.
