Byron H. Thomas

THOMAS, OCHS, VETTER, ARMSTRONG, PALMER, BARKER, MUELLER, WIEBOLD

Posted By: Ruth Maring - Volunteer (email)
Date: 9/4/2006 at 19:50:19

The Clinton Herald
Published: August 28, 2006 01:02 pm

Byron H. Thomas

Visitation: 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Lahey Funeral Home, Wyoming.

SERVICES: 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Zion American Lutheran Church, Wyoming, with the Rev. Timothy Miller officiating.

ANAMOSA — Dr. Byron H. Thomas, 76, of Anamosa and formerly of Wyoming, Iowa, died Sunday at St. Luke’s Hospital, Cedar Rapids.

Burial will be at 3 p.m. Thursday at Genoa Bluffs Cemetery, rural Iowa County, with military honors.

Pallbearers will be Troy and Tom Dunn, Aaron Palmer, Jon and Tom Kinzenbaw, Darrell DeBoom, Eric Ross and John Palmer.

He was born Feb. 19, 1930, in Iowa County to Hugh Benjamin and Iva Ladema Ochs Thomas. He married Esther Louise Vetter on April 6, 1950, at Salem United Church of Christ, Alleman.

He graduated in 1947 from Marengo High School. He received a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Iowa State Teachers College, Cedar Falls, and his Ph.D. from The University of Iowa, Iowa City.

He was inducted into the Marine Corps in December 1951 and served as a clerk in the Depot of Supplies in San Francisco until December 1953.

He started his career as a classroom teacher and taught in Sheldahl, Minburn and Durant. He was a high school principal in Rhodes and then began his superintendent of schools career at Olds Consolidated School District followed by Coggon, Waco Community in Wayland; Olds, Crawfordsville and Pocahontas. He then worked for Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, as director of education at the Men’s Reformatory, Anamosa, until his retirement in 1992. He then worked as a gate supervisor with Per Mar, taking tickets at Iowa Hawkeye football and basketball games for 28 years.

Survivors include one son, Mark (Ginger) Thomas of Wyoming; four daughters, Marilyn Armstrong of Monticello, Ill., Marlene (Greg) Palmer of Waukon, Marcella Thomas of Anamosa and Marlys (Troy) Barker of Nevada; 13 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; two brothers, Orville (Doris) Thomas of Marion and Warren (Doris) Thomas of Cedar Falls; and two sisters, Velma Mueller of Bakersfield, Calif., and Ethel (Russell) Wiebold of Westminster, Colo.; and many nieces and nephews.

Condolences may be made at www.laheys.com.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and three sisters.

Death date: Aug. 27, 2006