John Perry Thomas

John Perry Thomas passed away peacefully at home in Tallahassee on March 11, 2025. He was a beloved husband to Kay, father to Cathryn and Sara and grandfather “Papa” to Perry and Mason. His wonderful sense of humor and fun endeared him to both family and friends. He will be greatly missed.

John Perry was born to John Dewey and Sara Quaile Thomas on May 2, 1944 in Tallahassee. He was president of the 1962 graduating class of Leon High School. He received his undergraduate and Masters degrees in accounting from Florida State University. It was there that he met his wife of 58 years, Kay.

After graduation, he began his career with Price Waterhouse & Co. in Miami. He later returned to Tallahassee to practice accounting and was one of the founding shareholders of Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A., a Shareholder Emeritus when he died. In 2010, the firm established the John Perry Thomas Endowment, an FICPA scholarship for accounting students, to honor his dedication to family, firm and community. Thomas Howell Ferguson also created the John Perry Thomas Speaker Series in the FSU College of Business.

John Perry was a member of both the Florida Institute of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. He served on the Board of Directors of the FICPA and as President of the Tallahassee chapter. At the American Institute, he was a member of the Governing Council and the Board of Directors, the Auditing Standards Board and the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council.

In the Tallahassee community, he served as Chairman of the Board of both Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare and its Foundation, a Director of Goodwill Industries, Friends of the Library and the YMCA. He was a member of Leadership Florida and is a former Chairman for the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce. In 2010, John Perry was honored with the Godfrey Smith Past Chairman’s Award from Leadership Tallahassee and the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce for his dedication and commitment to our community.

John Perry was preceded in death by his parents, Sara and Dewey Thomas. He is survived by his wife, Kay Williams Thomas; his daughters, Cathryn Thomas Lager (Sean), of Atlanta, GA and Sara Thomas Prosser (Darin) of Asheville, NC; and two grandchildren, Perry Patricia Lager of Atlanta and Mason Bridges Prosser of Asheville. He is also survived by his brother, Dewey Glenn Thomas (Gwenn) and his sister, Bonnie Thomas Gandy (Jay) of Tallahassee and their families. We wish to thank Dr. Michael W. Forsthoefel and his staff for their compassionate care.

A memorial service will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 211 N. Monroe Street, on May 1 at 3:00pm with a reception following at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare Foundation, 1331 E. 6th Ave., Tallahassee, FL 32303 or St. John’s Episcopal Church, 211 N. Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301