Obituary of Richard Stanley Thomas

Dick was born in Toledo, OH to Ferdinand and Frances Thomas. While still in high school he moved to Hanover, Michigan. In 1950, he joined the U.S. Navy and trained as an x-ray technician in the medical corps. While serving Hawaii, Dick met his future wife, Noreen. He was discharged in 1959 and enrolled at Toledo University. In 1960, Dick and Noreen were married in Seattle, Washington. He attended Griffin Murphy Business College, majoring in accounting. The Boeing Company hired Dick as a time keeper and he later transferred to accounting. During his 32 years of employment, he gained experience in estimating, accounting, and budgeting and was promoted to Manager of Budgeting in the Materiel Division where he managed a yearly budget of $275 million and assisted with a hardware ten year budget of $126 billion. While living in Washington, Dick was active in Republican politics, serving as Snohomish County GOP Chairman, attended National conventions, and was a candidate for the State Legislature. He also served on the Mukilteo School Board for 12 years. Dick volunteered for many youth activities as a baseball coach and umpire as well as a soccer coach and referee. In 1977, he took his son's soccer team on a three week tour of Germany playing in five different towns. Dick retired from Boeing in 1994 and he and Noreen moved to Lake Havasu to enjoy the sunshine and allow Dick to pursue his passion for golf. He served as President of the Golden K Kiwanis, Joined the Masons and the Shrine. Dick traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and also visited Canada, Germany, Virgin Islands, and the Dominican Republic, and cruised to Alaska. Dick and Noreen were married 55 years in June of this year. He is survived by his wife, Noreen; son, Paul (Julie); granddaughter, Sadie; grandsons, Nick (Stephanie), Brian; 3 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; 1 sister, 2 brothers; and 2 nephews. Services followed by a reception will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 15, 2015 at Community Presbyterian Church in LHC. Donations to Community Presbyterian Church, or Havasu Shrine (note Children's Hospital), PO Box 1775, LHC, AZ 86405. Services were placed in the care of Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home and Crematory. Thoughts and condolences may be sent to the family at www.lietz-frazefuneralhome.com.