William Harley “Bill” Thomas
William Harley “Bill” Thomas passed away at the Cloud County Health Center in Concordia on Thursday, May 7, 2020. He was born May 5, 1936, in Horton, Kansas, to Harley and Dorcas (Peden) Thomas. He passed from this life two days after his 84th birthday. He and his disabled older sister were raised by their grandparents, W.O. “Tutes” and Ada (Whetstine) Thomas. He attended correspondence school.
Bill was a jack of all trades. His main profession was a newspaper ad man. He started out with the Horton Headlight and moved on to the University Daily Kansan at KU in 1968. After his retirement, he was hired by the Golden Eagle Casino as a slot tech and then later the Sac and Fox Casino as security. He and his wife were EMT’s and volunteered on Horton’s Ambulance service for 16 years. For many years he was the projectionist at the Liberty Theater in Horton. He was a professional photographer as well.
Bill married Judi Hedrick on the 4th of August 1961 in Horton. They were blessed with two children, Lorelei “Lori” and Matthew. They would have celebrated their 59th anniversary in August.
Bill always loved a good joke, never failing to find humor in any situation. He was always telling people it was nice of them to create Cinco de Mayo just for his birthday. He had a joke for every situation. He never knew a stranger and greeted everyone with a head bob and a “how do.”
Bill Thomas is survived by his wife Judi of Concordia; daughter Lori (Scott) Halfhide of Concordia, Kan., and son Matt (Tina) Thomas of Horton; three grandsons, Kody and Kasey Halfhide of Concordia and Connor Thomas of Horton. He is also survived by sisters: Jeanne (Gary) Thoma of Perry, Joan (Charlie) Dannenberg of Holton, Joyce (Harold) Martin of Valley Falls, Mary (Steve) Thompson of Valley Falls; and brother Larry (Pat) Thomas of Greenwood, Mo. He was preceded in death by his parents, his grandparents who raised him, his older sister, Claudine Thomas and an infant brother, Gerry Thomas.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made to Heart of Jackson Human Society, Inc. in Holton, Kansas.