William Churchill Thomas Jr.

William Churchill Thomas, Jr., 83, of Columbus, Georgia passed away at Orchard View in Columbus, GA on November 25, 2023. He was loved by his family, and he adored them in return. He was a ham radio operator with the call sign of W4JPW. He was witty and quick with a joke, a history buff, and an avid fan of the game show Jeopardy, often answering correctly before any contestant did.

He was born May 13, 1940, to William Churchill Thomas and Alma Louise Thomas (Brassell) in Tampa, Florida. He spent much of his childhood abroad in locations including Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and South Vietnam. He graduated high school from Georgia Military Academy in 1957 (now known as Woodward Academy). He then attended Auburn University where he was enrolled in ROTC and met his beautiful bride, then Mary Jane Klotz, at the local Episcopal Church. They married and he began his service to our country through the United States Army. After an assignment in Germany, he bravely returned to Vietnam in 1967-1968 where he served as Assistant Operations Officer to the Commander of the 36th Signal Battalion, which provided communication support to the 25th Infantry Division. After his wartime service, he continued his military career while supporting his growing family. He brought his family with him to various military bases, including to South Korea in the late 1970’s. After retirement from the Army in 1984, he continued to serve his country through a second career with the Civil Service. He worked for the Department of Defense in Weapons and Development and then supervised the facility new recruits go for their uniforms, Clothing Initial Issue Point, on Sand Hill in Fort Benning, GA. After his second retirement from his Civil Service, he enjoyed the outdoors, spending time at his little cabin in Pine Mountain, GA. Retirement could not slow him down, and in 2001, his spiritual journey led him to ministry of servanthood, and he began the process of becoming a deacon. Some of the ways he served his call to share God’s love were through the Chattahoochee Valley Episcopal Ministry, he was a board member of the Lazarus Society, and he helped to support the Brown Bag satellite food program for seniors. He was ordained as a Deacon of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Alabama in 2003, and he served several years at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Smiths Station, Alabama.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Mary Jane Thomas (Klotz), his 3 daughters, Melanie Hosey (Rob), Jeannette Wisniewski (Scott), and Ramona Austin (Sean), his brother Bruce Thomas (Linda). He had 11 grandchildren: Kyle, Ryan, Garret, and Sarah Hosey; Zach, Spencer, Seth, and Nathan Dike; Jocelyn, Hunter, and Logan Womble.

He was predeceased by his parents William Churchill and Alma Louise Thomas.

He also has many other loving family members, alive and deceased, that were dear to his heart.

A Memorial Service with Full Military Honors, and interment of his ashes, will be held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 2100 Hilton Avenue, Columbus, GA 31906 at 11:00AM on Thursday, November 30, 2023.

Contributions can be made in his honor to Chattahoochee Valley Episcopal Ministry (CVEM) at www.cvemjubilee.org/donate/ . Volunteering your time at CVEM, or any other organization that spreads the message of God’s love through service to others in need is appreciated.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.shcolumbus.com for the Thomas family.