Phil Howard Thomas' Obituary
Funeral services for Phil Howard Thomas, 91, of Leesville, Louisiana will be held at 10:00 am Wednesday, July 24, 2013, at the First Baptist Church of Leesville with Dr. Jerry Penfield officiating. Burial will follow in the Leesville Cemetery, under the direction of Labby Memorial Funeral Home of Leesville.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, July 23rd from 5 pm - 8 pm, at the funeral home.
Phil, the son of George H. and Alice Howard Thomas was born October 4, 1921 in Athens, Texas. He passed away Saturday, July 20, 2013 in Houston, Texas.
Mr. Thomas completed his second year at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas. In 1942, he resigned from his job with the Humble Oil & Refining Company and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He served from 1942 to 1953 including World War II: the Islands of the South Pacific, China, and Japan. Mr. Thomas was Honorably Discharged at the achieved rank of Master Sergeant. He was later recalled to active duty for the Korean Conflict. Upon initial release from his military assignment in 1946, he accepted his old job back with Humble Oil in their Exploration Department and came to Vernon Parish, Louisiana. He met Trelvis Elizabeth Collins on October 12th and two years later on October 12, 1948, they were married. Mr. Thomas retired from ExxonMobil in 1986 with 47 years of accredited service. His experience was entirely in the Exploration Department with over 24 years as a Seismic Party Chief and close to 20 years as a Geophysicist in their digital processing center. He was a proud member of First Baptist Church of Leesville. The Vernon Baptist Association had Phil as their “Trustee Emeritus” and he was on the Board of Trustees at the Dry Creek Baptist Camp.
Phil was preceded in death by his father, George H. Thomas in 1929; his mother, Alice Howard Thomas in 1988; and his oldest son, Barry Collins Thomas in 2002.
He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Trelvis Collins Thomas of Leesville; one son and daughter- in-law, Brian H. Thomas and wife, Debra Thompson Thomas of Houston, Texas; and two grandsons, Phil Howard Thomas II and granddaughter-in-law Rocio Thomas, and Benjamin Collins Thomas of Houston.
Memorial donations may be made to the Dry Creek Baptist Camp Landscape Fund.
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