Thelma Joyce (Richardson) Hughes, 85, died peacefully in her sleep Tuesday morning, February 28, 2006 at Taylor House Hospice in Des Moines. Services will be held 10:30 a.m., Friday, March 3 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Indianola with burial following in the I.O.O.F. Memorial Gardens Cemetery.

Thelma was born February 9, 1921 in Whitley, Kentucky the third oldest of 12 children of Oda and Pearle (Lawson) Richardson. As a girl, she loved school and had many adventures in the hills of Kentucky. Thelma graduated from high school, she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio and worked in an airplane factory during WWII. After the war, she traveled with a sister to California where she lived for a time. She met and fell in love with a young sailor named Francis Hughes. She wed in 1946 and was married to for 55 years, until his death of her husband. They had one son, Daniel Hughes.

Although Thelma worked at a number of different occupations in her life, her joy was being with her family. She is remembered fondly and lovingly as a caring wife, homemaker, mother, grandmother and great grandmother to all she cared for.

Thelma was preceded in death by her husband, Frank; her parents; six brothers, and three sisters. Thelma is survived by her son, Dan Hughes and daughter-in-law, Renee Espeland Hughes; grandchildren, John, Tim, Heather, Reetzi, Frankie, Spencer and Duncan, who all live in the Des Moines area. She also has four great grandchildren.

Visitation will be held 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., Thursday, March 2 at Overton Funeral Home where family will be present to greet friends from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.