Unci Reverend Mary Elizabeth Thunder was born in Indianapolis, Indiana to the parents of Richard Farr Crickmore and Gladys Mae Brannon. She was beautiful, brilliant and amazing as a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. Mary graduated with honors from Indiana University majoring in Psychology. In Indianapolis she served as secretary to Mayor Richard Lugar and on the Board of Public Safety. In addition, she served as a Drug and Alcohol Counselor at the Dallas Intertribal Center.

 

Thunder was active in several Native American movements including, the Longest Walk, the Long Walk for Survival, and Yellow Thunder. Thunder was proud to be a nominee for the Nobel Prize among 1000 Women of Peace. She was named Peace Elder by Grandmother Twylah Nitsch. She is a member of many delegations including: the UN Indigenous Peoples Working Sessions, the Spiritual United Nations and the Spiritual Concerns for Women Committee.

 

At invitation of the Dalai Lama, Mary Thunder spoke in France about Peace and Women, Thunder has traveled much and met with spiritual peoples of Australia, Egypt, England, France, Hawaii, Holland, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Italy, India, Hawaii, Ireland and Wales. Mary Thunder was a Sun Dancer, Maat Priestess, Fijian Adi, Italian Dona Di Pace, Holy Woman, healer, visionary, author and a bridge connecting people, cultures, hearts and minds. With this vision she created The Church of The Blue Star.

 

As our Matriarch, we received many deep teaching from Unci. Teachings of hosting and caring for our elders, nourishing the children and the people, good completions, clean kitchens and cooking with love, compassion, joy in difficulty, unconditional love, honoring the Mother, balance of masculine and feminine, forgiveness, seeing the beauty beyond the exterior, the ability to be in service beyond oneself, grace in firmness, and much more that will continue to weave through our lives as we work and walk the vision and the prayer.

 

Unci Mary Elizabeth Thunder lived the Dream and the Vision. And so, she lives on in the stars and in each of our hearts, through the way we live and serve Creator's children.  -  fayettecountyrecord.com