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Premium Member
John Paul Thomas
John Paul Thomas passed away on January 10th at his home in Round Rock. He was born April 6, 1930 to J. Morris and Cleo Thomas of Bosqueville, Texas, the oldest of 5 children. He attended schools in Bruceville-Eddy, Meridian and Waco, Texas. Upon graduating from Waco High in 1947, he entered Texas A&M (Class of 1951). On a visit to Meridian, he had a blind date with a pretty nursing student, Jenny Ruth Reesing. They were married on September 2nd, 1951. He graduated in 1952 and joined the Air Force. In 1953 he spent a year in the Pacific and witnessed testing of the hydrogen bomb. He received his master's degree in civil engineering from the University of New Mexico in 1963. John and Jenny had five children: John, Kathi, Carole, Lisa, and Ben, whom they took camping throughout New Mexico. John loved hunting, fishing, and fast-pitch softball. He pitched from his teenage years up into his forties, kept his pitches low, moved the ball in all directions, and always won more than he lost, even in his last seasons. In 1967 John was sent to serve at the NATO facility in Naples, Italy. This was a golden time for the whole family and they visited much of Europe. In 1970 he was sent to Nakhon Phanom Thailand, followed by four years at Langley AFB, Hampton, Virginia. He was posted to Kelly AFB, San Antonio in 1975 followed by a transfer to Randolph AFB in 1978. John and Jenny remained there until his retirement in 1980 with the rank of Colonel. After retirement, John and Jenny moved to Round Rock where he went to work for Texas Instruments as a facilities engineer. He and Jenny enjoyed watching their children complete their educations, start their careers, get married, and best of all present them with eight grandchildren. He retired from TI in 1995. There were no prouder Aggies than John and Jenny. Their granddaughter Kaitlin Bass made John the proud grandfather of another Aggie in 2009. John was a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 227 of Round Rock, Post Oak Island No. 181, Beaukiss, TX, Abernathy No. 1142, Round Rock Eastern Star No. 316, Scottish Rite, Ben Hur Shriners, Austin, TX, the National Sojourners, VFW, the Elks and the American Legion. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Jenny, brothers Harold and Benson, and daughter Lisa Paulson. He is survived by his sister Annese Darter of Wellington, TX; brother Bob of Lubbock; and cousin Gloria Davis of Waco; children John Thomas of Houston, Kathi Bass of Magnolia, TX, Carole Fowler of Paige, TX, and Ben Thomas of Round Rock, and eight grandchildren. Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013 at Beck Funeral Home, 15709 RR 620, Austin, Texas with funeral services to be held Tuesday, January 15, 3:00 pm at Palm Valley Lutheran Church, 2500 E. Palm Valley Blvd, Round Rock. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Scottish Rite Children's Dyslexia Center, the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, or the charity of your choice.
Rest well brother. You served your family, the fraternity, and the nation well.
John Paul Thomas passed away on January 10th at his home in Round Rock. He was born April 6, 1930 to J. Morris and Cleo Thomas of Bosqueville, Texas, the oldest of 5 children. He attended schools in Bruceville-Eddy, Meridian and Waco, Texas. Upon graduating from Waco High in 1947, he entered Texas A&M (Class of 1951). On a visit to Meridian, he had a blind date with a pretty nursing student, Jenny Ruth Reesing. They were married on September 2nd, 1951. He graduated in 1952 and joined the Air Force. In 1953 he spent a year in the Pacific and witnessed testing of the hydrogen bomb. He received his master's degree in civil engineering from the University of New Mexico in 1963. John and Jenny had five children: John, Kathi, Carole, Lisa, and Ben, whom they took camping throughout New Mexico. John loved hunting, fishing, and fast-pitch softball. He pitched from his teenage years up into his forties, kept his pitches low, moved the ball in all directions, and always won more than he lost, even in his last seasons. In 1967 John was sent to serve at the NATO facility in Naples, Italy. This was a golden time for the whole family and they visited much of Europe. In 1970 he was sent to Nakhon Phanom Thailand, followed by four years at Langley AFB, Hampton, Virginia. He was posted to Kelly AFB, San Antonio in 1975 followed by a transfer to Randolph AFB in 1978. John and Jenny remained there until his retirement in 1980 with the rank of Colonel. After retirement, John and Jenny moved to Round Rock where he went to work for Texas Instruments as a facilities engineer. He and Jenny enjoyed watching their children complete their educations, start their careers, get married, and best of all present them with eight grandchildren. He retired from TI in 1995. There were no prouder Aggies than John and Jenny. Their granddaughter Kaitlin Bass made John the proud grandfather of another Aggie in 2009. John was a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 227 of Round Rock, Post Oak Island No. 181, Beaukiss, TX, Abernathy No. 1142, Round Rock Eastern Star No. 316, Scottish Rite, Ben Hur Shriners, Austin, TX, the National Sojourners, VFW, the Elks and the American Legion. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Jenny, brothers Harold and Benson, and daughter Lisa Paulson. He is survived by his sister Annese Darter of Wellington, TX; brother Bob of Lubbock; and cousin Gloria Davis of Waco; children John Thomas of Houston, Kathi Bass of Magnolia, TX, Carole Fowler of Paige, TX, and Ben Thomas of Round Rock, and eight grandchildren. Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013 at Beck Funeral Home, 15709 RR 620, Austin, Texas with funeral services to be held Tuesday, January 15, 3:00 pm at Palm Valley Lutheran Church, 2500 E. Palm Valley Blvd, Round Rock. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Scottish Rite Children's Dyslexia Center, the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, or the charity of your choice.
Rest well brother. You served your family, the fraternity, and the nation well.