Rosalind G. Wholden Thomas, 91, of Ventura, California passed away on September 6th at
her home surrounded by the love of family and friends. Rosalind was born in Newark, New
Jersey to Harold and Gretta Greenberg on September 30th, 1934. She attended Arts High
School, in Newark, NJ, received a B.A. from UCLA , and an M.A. Phi Beta Kappa, from UC
Berkely. She was a Lecturer in Art and taught at The College of Creative Studies at UC Santa
Barbara, as well as at the University of Iowa, Sacramento City College and UC Santa Cruz.
She served as the Curator of Education for the La Jolla Museum of Art and created one of
the first TV series on art, “Art as a Way of Seeing”, for KOGO San Diego in the mid 1960s.
She was a contributing writer for publications such as Artforum, Arts Magazine, The
Beverley Hills Times, and Psychological Perspectives, with her first essays appearing in the
late 1950s and her last publication appearing earlier this year (2026).
Rosalind was an avid reader, an art historian with an incredible breadth of knowledge and
passion for art from the early European Renaissance to abstract expressionism and
contemporary art. She also believed in the power of words in prose and poetry and the
pursuit of meaning in the world around her, in art practice, and in nature and spirituality.
She was also a devoted wife, mother, teacher and friend and actively engaged in giving
charity, a practice she adopted from her father who cited the kindness of strangers in his
survival as a refugee during WWI. Rosalind fiercely supported causes advocating for social
justice, labor rights, the environment and refugee assistance globally.
Rosalind was preceded in death by her beloved husband Robert Nason Thomas, and is
survived by her brother Sol Greenberg and his wife Claudia Greenberg, and her sons Dean
Thomas and his wife Leslie Thomas, Glen Thomas and his wife Christina Thomas, Noah
Thomas and his wife Kelly Thomas, and Leif Thomas and his wife Irene Bernal, as well as
her grandchildren Alyssa, Matthew, Garret, Jonah, Ellington and Etta Thomas.
A funeral service will be held at the grave site on Thursday, September 10th at 2 pm, Ivy
Lawn Memorial Park, 5400 Valentine Rd., Ventura. A Celebration of Life gathering will
happen on Sunday, September 27th, at 1pm, Leashless Brewing, 585 E. Thompson Blvd,
Ventura. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations are made in her name to one
or more of the following organizations:
The Southern Poverty Law Center
https://www.splcenter.org/
cetaceans.org
https://www.cetaceans.org/about
UNICEF
https://www.unicefusa.org/
Arrangements are under the direction of the JOSEPH P. REARDON FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICE, Ventura.