Monique Thaon Rollins Obituary (1937 - 2018)

Monique Blanche Thaon Rollins passed away peacefully on March 7, 2018. She was born in Nice, France on June 1, 1937. She was the first child of Charles and Alice Thaon. Her younger brother by twelve years, Marcel, preceded her in death in his mid-forties. She grew up in Nice and as a young child experienced the trials of war as her city was occupied by the German army. There was very little food. To save the children from starvation she was sent to Switzerland to live with a family that had a farm and enough food to spare to keep her nourished. When the war ended she was reunited with her family. She enjoyed spending time with her paternal grandmother, Mme. Titine, who loved to spoil her. She spent the school years dedicated to her studies and in the summer was able to enjoy the benefits of living on the French Riviera. She spent time on the beach with her friends and swam in the Mediterranean daily amongst the yachts of the rich and famous. In the evenings they would walk the boardwalk and play foosball. She has many happy memories of those pleasant summers. She completed her education and worked for a short time as an office assistant before marrying Ronald Roy Rollins, an American, who brought her to the United States. They lived in Salt Lake City where her first two children were born. Michael came first and then Aline less than one year later. She struggled with people understanding her English; with her French accent. She had to adjust to the American food and culture. She eventually became a gourmet cook but in the early years, according to our father, "she couldn't even cool hot water". They moved to Livermore, California where they bought their first home and added another son, Bruce, to the family. A few years later they settled in Rolla, Missouri. Scott and Daniel were born there. Here Monique was very active in her church service. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints she actively participated in the choir and performed vocal solos in church along with serving as the President of the Relief Society and other callings. She was part of Rolla's community chorus "The Lyrians". She volunteered at a local radio station, KUMR, where she was named volunteer of the year for her work as the promotions assistant doing extensive work on the monthly program guide including writing and illustrating her own articles. She also worked with the publicity and public awareness projects. She produced and directed Maupassant's "The Necklace," a radio drama. Along with all her activities she was a voracious reader and loved to study European history and culture. She became very knowledgeable in world history and current events. She was a great person to add to your Trivial pursuit team! Her greatest joy was her five children. She even commented that she wished she could have had more. The sorrow of her life was the sudden death of her fourth child, Scott, in May of 1975. At seven years old he was killed in a school bus accident near her home. Sadly she also lost her youngest son, Daniel, when he died suddenly of a heart attack at age 28. Losing her youngest two children was almost more then she could bear. They moved to Morgantown, West Virginia in 1979 where she was able to achieve a lifelong dream of completing her college education. In 1984 she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. She and her oldest, Michael, graduated together from WVU. Her favorite job was at the local radio station, FM/102 WVAQ where she worked as a copywriter. She later moved to the Boise area and lived there until her death. In Idaho she loved spending time with her children and grandchildren. She made many new friends and especially enjoyed her time living close to downtown Boise where she attended concerts, movies and local events. She was especially a fan of the blues and admired great guitarists like Derek Trucks. She enjoyed the farmers market and never would turn down fresh garden produce. She had many talents and hobbies including sewing, gardening, writing, illustrating, gourmet cooking and loved to share a new favorite recipe with friends and family. She leaves behind her surviving family members including her mother Alice Antoni Thaon, 100 years old, still living in France. Her children Michael Rollins (Joy), Aline Hurst (Rick), Bruce Rollins (Teresa) fifteen grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren. The family would like to give a special thank you to the staff and residents of Swan Falls Assisted Living Center in Kuna and Horizon Home Health & Hospice. They all made her last year a joyful time and gave her a whole new group of friends to cherish. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday March 10, 2018 at 10:30 am - LDS Chapel 2555 Stoddard Road Meridian, ID. You may greet the family from 10:00am to 10:30 am. Burial will follow at 2 pm - Cloverdale Cemetery.