Obituary for Earl Thomas
Funeral service for Earl Thomas will be at 2:00pm Tuesday, November 29, 2022, in the chapel of Griffin Funeral Home, West Monroe, LA. Visitation will be in the chapel from 1:00pm to service time, November 29, 2022. Interment will follow at Roselawn Cemetery in Calhoun.
Earl Thomas was born to Nathan and Ella Thomas in Sandy Hook Mississippi on May 27, 1924. There were 3 other boys and 4 girls. His dad moved them to Louisiana where, with the help of his children, he became a sharecropper. Helping in the fields took away from some of his schooling and though he didn’t get to graduate, he became a very intelligent man.
When he turned 17 years old, he told his mother, that there had to be something better than working in the fields, so he joined the Marine Corp to see the world.
Shortly after, WWII broke out while he was in San Diego and he was soon headed via ship to places like Bougainville, Guam, and Iwo Jima. He was on Iwo Jima on day 2 of the war there, and stayed until it was over. Many times he described what it was like, and how the trees were all gone from gunfire. He told the story of the flag raising on Iwo, and said that he was at the bottom of the hill, firing at Japanese soldiers while they were raising the flag. He said “They were climbing over dead men to raise that flag.” He also said “That that war was something he would never forget.”
After 4 years, his tour was over in 1945, and he came home to marry the love of his life, Hosie Johnston. He built them a home where together, they had 5 children.
He began taking refrigeration classes, and took a job at Monroe Furniture. He was a man of many talents, and could repair anything. If it was broken, he could fix it. In our home, he was the electrician, auto mechanic, plumber, appliance and TV repair man and we never had to call in anyone else.
On Sundays when his wife and kids went to church, he could be found sitting outside under a tree reading the encyclopedias, in which he became very knowledgeable in many areas. He was quite the history buff and could tell you about governments around the world, their leaders, all the wars and more. He was fascinating to talk to and an excellent source of information on almost any subject.
He wen to work for The News Star paper as a pressman. Two of his nephews worked there with him and he spoke of the camaraderie and fun they and the other guys had together, cracking jokes and pranking each other.
During his life, he took in some of his wife’s sibling’s children and his brother’s children that were not his and helped out and when he did, he treated them as his own. He had a good heart.
He was a hard worker and took a second job at times, to make sure his family was taken care of. His second job was working with antique furniture refinishing, which he was very good at. He decided to leave the paper after 22 years and go into his own business where he was very successful. He brought back to life some incredible pieces with his perfectionist way of refinishing. His work was very well known to many people in Monroe who kept him booked after seeing his work.
While working, he built his beautiful second home out in the country on 15 acres of land, working on weekends for a few years until it was finished, completely paid for.
His favorite hobby was gardening. He always had a garden, and raised some the prettiest and best tasting vegetables. He and his brother, Paul, were always in competition as to who got the first and biggest tomato on the vine. He has had a garden in the ground every single year up to his last year. This year he planted his tomatoes outside his window in buckets so he could keep an eye on them.
He has always been someone who enjoyed laughter and attempting to get the best of you with a joke or comment he knew would cause a reaction. He would call his wife, “Sweet Thang,” and at any time she was a bit short with him, he would say, “I guess this means the honeymoon’s over” which almost always brought a smile to her face.
He loved his dogs. He was a cat res-curer, whether his, or a stray, if it was high up in a tree and afraid to come down, off he would go to get the chain saw and down went the tree. We still laugh about the time he saved a cat named Redford. He would pay attention to how many days one was up a tree and when it didn’t come down and was probably hungry and thirsty, we lost a tree.
He was a wonderful man, dad, and granddad. He was a hard worker, a great soldier, and great provider.
He will be greatly missed but will live forever in our hearts.
Semper Fi.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Hosie Thomas “Sweet Thang”; son, Steven Thomas; son, David Thomas; parents, James and Ella Thomas; and numerous brothers and sisters.
Those left to cherish his memories include his daughter Sherryl Williamson and husband Roy; son, Richard Thomas and wife Karen; son, Scott Thomas and wife Teresa; niece, Sandy Dlabaj; grandchildren, Chris Thomas and wife Dawn, Casey Salsbury and husband Glen, Jennifer Doss and husband Jerry, John Thomas, Jason Thomas, Heather Thomas, Lilly Dunn; great grandchildren, Gavin Thomas and wife Jaimie, Hunter Thomas and Britnee, Alyssa “Aly” Thomas, Jacob Williamson and wife Brittany, Kyle Williamson and wife Carley, Dustin Thomas and wife Andrea, Clay Doss, Payton Doss, Kayson Thomas, Charlotte Thomas, Karly Thomas, and Keegan Thomas; great great grandchildren, Cassidy Thomas, Landon Thomas, Rowan Thomas, Tanner Williamson, Brexlie Williamson, and Kennedy Williamson.
Pallbearers are Jason Thomas, Jacob Williamson, John Thomas, Chris Thomas, Clay Doss, and Payton Doss.
Honorary Pallbearers are Kyle Williamson, Dustin Thomas, Gavin Thomas, Hunter Thomas, and Richard Dunn.
Earl Thomas was born to Nathan and Ella Thomas in Sandy Hook Mississippi on May 27, 1924. There were 3 other boys and 4 girls. His dad moved them to Louisiana where, with the help of his children, he became a sharecropper. Helping in the fields took away from some of his schooling and though he didn’t get to graduate, he became a very intelligent man.
When he turned 17 years old, he told his mother, that there had to be something better than working in the fields, so he joined the Marine Corp to see the world.
Shortly after, WWII broke out while he was in San Diego and he was soon headed via ship to places like Bougainville, Guam, and Iwo Jima. He was on Iwo Jima on day 2 of the war there, and stayed until it was over. Many times he described what it was like, and how the trees were all gone from gunfire. He told the story of the flag raising on Iwo, and said that he was at the bottom of the hill, firing at Japanese soldiers while they were raising the flag. He said “They were climbing over dead men to raise that flag.” He also said “That that war was something he would never forget.”
After 4 years, his tour was over in 1945, and he came home to marry the love of his life, Hosie Johnston. He built them a home where together, they had 5 children.
He began taking refrigeration classes, and took a job at Monroe Furniture. He was a man of many talents, and could repair anything. If it was broken, he could fix it. In our home, he was the electrician, auto mechanic, plumber, appliance and TV repair man and we never had to call in anyone else.
On Sundays when his wife and kids went to church, he could be found sitting outside under a tree reading the encyclopedias, in which he became very knowledgeable in many areas. He was quite the history buff and could tell you about governments around the world, their leaders, all the wars and more. He was fascinating to talk to and an excellent source of information on almost any subject.
He wen to work for The News Star paper as a pressman. Two of his nephews worked there with him and he spoke of the camaraderie and fun they and the other guys had together, cracking jokes and pranking each other.
During his life, he took in some of his wife’s sibling’s children and his brother’s children that were not his and helped out and when he did, he treated them as his own. He had a good heart.
He was a hard worker and took a second job at times, to make sure his family was taken care of. His second job was working with antique furniture refinishing, which he was very good at. He decided to leave the paper after 22 years and go into his own business where he was very successful. He brought back to life some incredible pieces with his perfectionist way of refinishing. His work was very well known to many people in Monroe who kept him booked after seeing his work.
While working, he built his beautiful second home out in the country on 15 acres of land, working on weekends for a few years until it was finished, completely paid for.
His favorite hobby was gardening. He always had a garden, and raised some the prettiest and best tasting vegetables. He and his brother, Paul, were always in competition as to who got the first and biggest tomato on the vine. He has had a garden in the ground every single year up to his last year. This year he planted his tomatoes outside his window in buckets so he could keep an eye on them.
He has always been someone who enjoyed laughter and attempting to get the best of you with a joke or comment he knew would cause a reaction. He would call his wife, “Sweet Thang,” and at any time she was a bit short with him, he would say, “I guess this means the honeymoon’s over” which almost always brought a smile to her face.
He loved his dogs. He was a cat res-curer, whether his, or a stray, if it was high up in a tree and afraid to come down, off he would go to get the chain saw and down went the tree. We still laugh about the time he saved a cat named Redford. He would pay attention to how many days one was up a tree and when it didn’t come down and was probably hungry and thirsty, we lost a tree.
He was a wonderful man, dad, and granddad. He was a hard worker, a great soldier, and great provider.
He will be greatly missed but will live forever in our hearts.
Semper Fi.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Hosie Thomas “Sweet Thang”; son, Steven Thomas; son, David Thomas; parents, James and Ella Thomas; and numerous brothers and sisters.
Those left to cherish his memories include his daughter Sherryl Williamson and husband Roy; son, Richard Thomas and wife Karen; son, Scott Thomas and wife Teresa; niece, Sandy Dlabaj; grandchildren, Chris Thomas and wife Dawn, Casey Salsbury and husband Glen, Jennifer Doss and husband Jerry, John Thomas, Jason Thomas, Heather Thomas, Lilly Dunn; great grandchildren, Gavin Thomas and wife Jaimie, Hunter Thomas and Britnee, Alyssa “Aly” Thomas, Jacob Williamson and wife Brittany, Kyle Williamson and wife Carley, Dustin Thomas and wife Andrea, Clay Doss, Payton Doss, Kayson Thomas, Charlotte Thomas, Karly Thomas, and Keegan Thomas; great great grandchildren, Cassidy Thomas, Landon Thomas, Rowan Thomas, Tanner Williamson, Brexlie Williamson, and Kennedy Williamson.
Pallbearers are Jason Thomas, Jacob Williamson, John Thomas, Chris Thomas, Clay Doss, and Payton Doss.
Honorary Pallbearers are Kyle Williamson, Dustin Thomas, Gavin Thomas, Hunter Thomas, and Richard Dunn.