Michael John Thomas

Michael (Mike) Thomas, 78, a long-time resident of Redding, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by friends and family. He is survived by his children Stacy Baldwin and husband Mike, Monica Thomas, Travis Thomas and wife Sara, grandchildren; Nathan, Zachary, Ande, Liam, Tristan, Kiefer, Caden and Sonia, 3 great-grandchildren; as well as by his brother Art Thomas. He is preceded in death by his wife Alverta (Pug) Thomas, parents Clifton and Diana Thomas and sister Susan Thomas.
Born in 1946 in the small town of Red Bluff, California, Mike was the oldest child of Cliff and Diana Thomas. At a very early age he was hunting and fishing and was expected to help with the family bee business. Helping his dad in the bee business was very physical work. For many years Mike and his brother Art attended half of the school year in Cottonwood/Anderson, and the remainder of the school year was spent in Clyde, Alberta running the bee business. This was all before either of them had a driver's license and had to travel to Clyde via Greyhound bus.
Mike attended Anderson High School where he made a name for himself in football, basketball and baseball. He was class president all four years of high school and was student body president his senior year. He excelled and knew he wanted to continue playing sports in college.
After high school, Mike continued his football career at UC Santa Barbara. He played fullback for the Gauchos and was a member of the first undefeated athletic team in the school's history. Mike broke the UCSB rushing yard record his junior year and was voted MVP. He was a member of the UCSB Hall of Fame team that played in the 1965 Camellia Bowl.
It was while at school in Santa Barbara that he was reintroduced to Pug Snider, who would become his wife. Pug and Mike knew of each other having both attended Anderson High School, but didn't know each other well, as Pug was two years younger than Mike. During his senior year at UCSB Mike suffered a leg fracture that ended his football career, but his love had grown strong for Pug, and he asked her to marry him. Mike and Pug were married June 22, 1968. Mike went on to graduate from UC Santa Barbara with a bachelor's degree in 1969. For a while he considered becoming a teacher.
In 1972 Mike and Pug moved to Clyde, Alberta to raise their growing family and buy the bee business that Mike grew up working in. With teamwork they were able to grow their bee business, M&P Honey Ltd., while also growing their family. All three kids, Stacy, Monica and Travis, learned the ropes and helped with the family business. Many of Mike's high school and college friends came up to Alberta to work in the bees with him. After 15 years spent in Clyde, it was hard to leave so many friends.
In 1987 it was time to move back to California. After moving back to Anderson, Mike was an insurance broker while also managing some health issues. He enjoyed watching his children and eventually his grandchildren participate in sporting events. He also spent as much time as he could fishing, especially on Battle Creek.
Over the years he attended as many UCSB Football reunions as he could. They were held annually and thankfully in April of this year, all the stars aligned, and he was able to attend what would be his last UCSB Football reunion. He was beyond excited to catch up with friends and teammates.
He was thankful to see and talk to so many friends and family during his last few weeks. He even got to squeeze in one last poker game which he claimed to have won. He was truly blessed.
A Celebration of Life will be held at the Neighborhood Church of Anderson and Cottonwood on Saturday, June 28th at 11:00am
Arrangements are under the care of Allen and Dahl Funeral Chapel in Redding (530) 243-1525