In Yale New Haven Hospital, Sept. 24, 2005, Zadie Bell Thomas, 81, of New Haven, wife of the late Walter R. Thomas, mother of Geraldine Thomas of New Haven and grandmother of Patricia, Philip and Mark Silver Thomas and Bonita Hunter and mother-in-law of, Margaret Thomas of New Haven. She was predeceased by a son, Richard Walter Thomas, four brothers and two sisters. She was born April 16, 1924 in Carlisle, SC, a daughter of the late Curtis and Essie Sims Hodges. She was an elementary school teacher in South Carolina before moving to Connecticut. She was then a cleaning lady at BP Products in Hamden. She was a member of the Jehovah's Witness, Edgewood Park Congregation, Hamden for over 50 years. Funeral service Sat., Oct. 1 at 10:00 a.m. at BEECHER & BENNETT TAYLOR FUNERAL HOME, 410 Campbell Ave. at Court St., West Haven. Relatives and friends may call at the funeral home Sat. from 9-10 a.m. Burial will be at the convenience of the family.