“She’s going to be sorely missed by all of us. She’s been a great friend to the city of Galveston. She got us through Ike. She was terrific. She’s a priceless jewel.

— Carolyn Gaido, Thomas’ friend of 63 years

“She was larger than life. She gave to this community like nobody else. I’m proud that she was a friend of mine and grateful that she called me friend. I think they’ll all remember her in different ways. But overall the most publicized way was the way she handled the Hurricane Ike situation with grace and dignity, which is how she handled everything in her life.”

— Frances Powell, Thomas’ longtime friend

“Lyda Ann loved Galveston and loved serving on city council and as mayor. We were close friends during her tenure as mayor. When I was mayor, we appointed her to her first term on the Park Board of Trustees — and then she was ‘off and running’ — passionate about making Galveston a better place.”

— Barbara Crews, former Galveston mayor

"Lyda Ann and I disagreed often on local political issues, but I always admired her spirit and her candor, and I always believed she wanted what was best for Galveston. After she stepped down as mayor and after I stopped running the paper, we were able to become friends again, and I was really glad about that. I’ll miss her, and so will our town."

— Dolph Tillotson, president of Southern Newspapers Inc. and former publisher of The Daily News

Quote