Thurman Dumas

Thurman Lloyd Dumas, born October 26, 1926, to Charles Bert & Ida Lee Strange Dumas, left our earthly presence on September 30, 2022, just a few weeks short of his 96th birthday. Left behind to mourn and miss him are his 3 daughters, Debbie Dumas, Sandy Dumas (Marcus Guidry) and Terri Dumas Adams (LG Ill); grandchildren, Wade Chatfield (Jen), Grey Summers Moyed (Karl), Les Summers, Kali Adams Aucoin (Stephen), Benjamin Runge (Megan), Mattye Adams, Samuel Runge, & Lawrence Guy Adams IV (Mallory); great-grandchildren, Beatrice Chatfield, Emma & Kerby Moyed, Korinne, Jaiden & Avery Aucoin, and Sophia & Amelia Runge; sister, Mary Katherine (Kitty) Byers & brother, Arthur Allen Dumas (June), many nieces & nephews. Preceding him in death were his brother, Bonnie Dumas; and his beloved wife & the love of his life for 62 years, Gerri Devault Dumas. Thurman's glory days were his Navy service in WWII & his time as shift foreman at WR Grace/Allied Chemical (now Exxon Mobil). He quit high school to join the Navy during WWII - left his home in Norphlet, AR, served in the Pacific on LSMR 409, saw places he had only read about, & made lifelong friends. After the war, jobs in south AR dried up and he moved his family to Baton Rouge in 1956, making south LA his home for the rest of his life. After retiring, he & Gerri became snowbirds & RVers, traveling to Florida every winter. When asked how someone from LA could be a snowbird, he loved replying that he came from North Baton Rouge. He never met a stranger, making connections to others long before 6 Degrees of Separation (or Kevin Bacon) became a thing. He was a talented fix any-thing, any-how person, taught himself to do stained glass, loved to fish, recorded his favorite Swamp Pop songs on mixed tapes & CDs to share with everyone he met, continued to mow his lawn past his 95th birthday, and thought Blue Bayou by Linda Ronstadt was the most beautiful song ever sung. The only regret he ever mentioned was never having learned to dance. Celebration of Life begins with visitation at Resthaven on Jefferson Hwy. at 8:30 am, Friday morning, Oct. 7, 2022, with Memorial Service beginning at 10 am. Burial to follow at Resthaven Gardens of Memory. Pallbearers are L.G. Adams Ill, Marcus Guidry, Wade Chatfield, Benjamin Runge, Les Summers, Sonny Adams, & Sam Runge. Honorary pallbearers are Kerby Moyed, Karl Moyed, Stephen Aucoin & Jerry Lloyd Dumas. In lieu of flowers, donations to Alzheimer Service of the Capital Area will be appreciated. A special thanks goes out to Charlie's Place and Carpenter House (St. Joseph Hospice) and all the wonderful employees associated with those facilities who showed our family so many kindnesses.