Homer Thomas

1921 - 2010

HOMER MANGIS THOMAS Homer Thomas passed away peacefully at his home in Riverside on October 15, 2010. He was 89. Homer was born September 3, 1921, the second son of Homer and Della Thomas in the small hardscrabble town of Madras, Oregon. He was a four sport letterman, including quarterback of the Madras High White Buffaloes. He followed his older brother, Edward, to the University of Oregon where he took up, for the first time, the sport of pole vaulting. He became Northwest champion with a vault of 13 feet 6 inches on a bamboo pole. Later at the age of 60 he took first place at a Master\'s track meet with a vault of 10 feet using a fiberglass pole. He always wished fiberglass poles were available in his youth. A natural leader, Homer was voted Captain of the Oregon Track Team, President of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and was admitted to the prestigious Sigma Delta Psi and Theta Nu Epsilon Societies. He was also a member of "Order of the O", the athletic fraternity for varsity lettermen. He graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration. The best thing to happen to Homer at the U of O was meeting an attractive and vivacious Gamma Phi co-ed named Mary Wright who became his wife of 66 years. Romeo and Juliet knew no finer love affair. Mary and Homer were married June 30, 1944 at Fort Benning, Georgia where Homer was going through Officer Candidate School. Homer became a First Lieutenant in the Army paratroops and was sent to action in the Philippines with the 503rd Regimental Combat Team but shortly after his arrival the dropping of the A-bombs caused the Japanese surrender. Unfortunately, his brother, Edward, a fighter pilot, was killed during the war. Homer was attached to the Inspector General\'s office and stationed in Japan as part of the U.S. military occupation after the surrender. General Swing awarded him a commendation medal for his service to the 11th Airborne. He was called back to service during the Korean War and served stateside in the Signal Corps. After the war, Homer became much interested in German culture. He learned to speak German at night school and traveled to Germany for extended periods on five different occasions before, during and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Family and friends will fondly recall the many times Homer led the German sing-a-long, Schnitzelbank, often dressed in lederhosen with his Tyrolean hat and coat. In later life, Homer became interested in genealogy and discovered that his great-grandfather, Johannes Mangis, on his mother\'s side, had been a Hessian soldier captured in Princeton, New Jersey by George Washington on Christmas Eve in 1776. After the war, Johannes became an American citizen. Homer was a success in nearly everything he undertook and business was no exception. He was the Owner and President of the Star Milling Company in Riverside which produced feed for chickens and turkeys. He later built a state of the art feed mill on I-215 near Perris which still operates today. After selling the mill in 1968, Homer started the Homer Thomas Company, a brokerage for feed ingredients with his former competitors as his biggest customers. Although he didn\'t take up golf until his 30\'s, he quickly became a single digit handicap enjoying the game immensely and winning many tournaments. He was quite proud of being able to shoot even par (72) at the age of 75 and continued to shoot his age until 82. He was an enthusiastic member of the Victoria Club and past president of the Victoria Vikings and played on golf courses throughout the United States and all over the world. Homer also enjoyed tennis, water skiing and snow skiing. Many of his fondest memories were the many Fourth of Julys at the Penberthy cabin at Lake Shasta, summers on Balboa Island and Christmas at Mammoth, Tahoe, Aspen, Sun Valley, Mount Bachelor and Park City. Homer was also interested in and active in civic affairs. He was Foreman of the Riverside County Grand Jury in 1972, a long time member and past president of the Downtown Kiwanis Club, active in Republican politics and a member of the Riverside Wine & Food Society. He was naturally curious about the world and traveled extensively. At one time or the other he probably visited nearly every state in the Union and most of the countries around the globe. Homer had a wonderfully rich and fun filled life, but the most special thing about him was his enormous love for his wife and family and his warm friendship to all around him, especially kids. He never lost his boyish innocence, curiosity, wonder and unconditional love. Homer is survived by his wife, Mary of Riverside, his son, Bill, of Riverside, Bill\'s wife, Terre, and their two daughters, Kelly and Tracy, of Newport Beach. A celebration of Homer\'s life will be held this Sunday, October 24, 2010 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm at the Victoria Club, located at 2521 Arroyo Drive, Riverside, California, 92506. Burial will be private. Arrangements are being handled by Preston & Simons Mortuary