Ann Mae Thomas the daughter of the late Ira and Jessie Branch, was born on October 29, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York. She was the first of two children born from this union. Her younger brother,Robert (Bobby) Branch , preceded her in death on March 30th 2001.
Ann was raised and got her "Brooklyn Roots" in the New York City Housing Authorizing (NYCHA) Fort Greene Houses in downtown Brooklyn (now known separately as the Raymond V. Ingersoll Houses and the Walt Whitman Houses).She received her education through the New York public school system, graduating from Prospect Heights High School in Brooklyn in June of 1953. Shortly after graduation, she found employment with the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in Manhattan.
In March of 1957, she was joined in Holy Matrimony to the late Joseph L. Thomas and from that union, three children were born, Cheryl, Gregory and Monique. As her children got older in age, she found the time to juggle various part time jobs to help make ends meet. She worked for a time in the Alexanders Department Store upon its original opening in the Kings PLaza Shopping Mall, but she later found her true calling when she was hired in 1972 as a school aide by the New York City Board of Education.
Her initial assignment with the New YOrk City schools would be at South Shore High school in Brooklyn, a school that was located a mere two blocks away from her home in the NYCHA Glenwood Houses. This assignment was convenient for her when it came to her travel to work, but it quickly became terribly inconvenient for her then high school aged children Cheryl and Gregory and for all of their friends, because as a "Mother of Glenwood", it meant that any innocent misbehavior that they engaged in and around school grounds, would be quickly dealt with and also had a chance to be quickly communicated to her fellow parents in the Glenwood Houses.
She also was assigned for a while to work at Sarah J. Hale High School, in downtown Brooklyn, but she found her most cherished assignment when she was chosen to work as a school aide at Brooklyn Technical High School, a position that she held for 38 years until her retirement in 2016. She was particularly proud of her work at Brooklyn Tech, because she often boasted about the young men and women whom she mentioned and influenced over the years, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in business, entertainment, government and politics.
"Ms. Ann" or Miss T" as she was affectionately known to many , touched the lives of her family, friends and thousands of New York City students through her laughter and caring demeanor. As a proud 56 year resident of the Glenwood Houses, she also was known to be always on the watch, on "the wall" keeping an eye on all of the families and children in the neighborhood and around to ward off anyone who would look to bring anyone harm or drama.
Ann leaves to mourn her passing, her passing, her loving children , Cheryl , Gregory and Monique; three grandsons, Joseph, Tyler and Christopher, a daughter in law, Kim Royster; nephew and niece, Darrell and Dawn Branch and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, co-workers and students in numbers too large to mention.