George C. Thomas Jr.

Dresden-GEORGE C. THOMAS, JR., died March 14, 2009. He was born November 3, 1918 in Dresden, Tennessee. He was preceded in death by his father, George C. Thomas, who was a family physician in Greenfield and his mother, Georgia Shannon Thomas, who was a teacher and high school boys’ basketball coach and dorm mother at UTMB. During World War II, he was an officer in the Army’s 112th. Calvary regiment that was deployed to the Pacific front, where his unit made several landings, with particularly fierce fighting in the Philippines. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his bravery in combat. He mustered out of the Army a major and enlisted in the National Guard, where he served as additional twenty-five years, retiring as lieutenant colonel. After the war, he finished his degree at the University of Tennessee and entered law school at UT, where he graduated first in his class. He was elected and served as Weakley County Judge from 1950 until 1968. He then built a successful law practice that eventually included David Welles and his two sons, George C. Thomas III and Tommy Thomas, as partners. He also served as field representative for Congressmen Robert (Fats) Everett and Ed Jones for over 25 years. He married Mary Sue Irvine in 1946 and, after her death in 1985, he married Julia Lovell. Throughout his life, he loved his church, family, horses, Dresden, the University of Tennessee, (where he served on the Athletic Board), the St. Louis Cardinals, golf and the Democratic Party. He was a member of Dresden First United Methodist Church. He is survived by his wife, Julia and his sons, Tommy and George III. His son Tommy serves as the District Attorney General for Weakley and Obion counties and he and his wife, Paula, live in Dresden. George III is a Board of Governors professor at Rutgers University School of Law. George III and wife, Gretchen, reside in Warren, New Jersey. He is also survived by a grandson, Matthew Thomas, who is a Junior at UTM. Additional survivors include: step children, Sherry Motley and Greg Smith (Janet); step-grandchildren, Jinny Killebrew (Scott), Molly Martin, Katelyn and Kevin Smith; step-great-grandchildren, Callen and Caroline Killebrew, and Lauren Martin. He is also survived by sisters in law Edna Algea, Billie O’Neal, Maxine Wallis (Gerald), Elnora Graves (Reau) and brother in law Terry Lovell (Doris). Visitation for Mr. Thomas will be Monday evening from 5 - 7 p.m. at Bowlin Funeral Home in Dresden. The body will lie in state at the church on Tuesday from 2 - 3 p.m. The funeral service will be held at Dresden First United Methodist Church on Tuesday at 3 p.m. The family requests memorials be sent to Dresden First United Methodist Church Building Fund, 105 S. Church Street, Dresden, TN. 38115. Bowlin Funeral Home 731-364-3101