Betty Carol Coleman Thomas

Betty was born and went to high school in Detroit, Michigan. Following her graduation from high school, Betty worked at Continental Motors Corporation but as soon as she turned 20 she enlisted in the US Army. If she had been old enough she would have enlisted in December 1941. After Basic Training, she served as a Technical Sargent in the Japanese Military Reports Branch of the Military Intelligence Service at the Pentagon. She processed secret and top secret messages using the now declassified “Ultra” code. She maintained essential files, made daily, weekly and monthly reports, routed highly classified documents and handled the distribution of classified publications sent overseas which was vital wartime intelligence. She prepared the daily Presidential briefing reports, maintained the security of the top secret documents and supervised 12 other members of the Women’s Army Corps. Her work was vital to a wartime victory over Japan. After returning to Detroit, Betty finished her college studies becoming a first grade teacher. She worked as a first grade teacher for the Little Rock Public School System for 22 years. After she retired, she enjoyed cruising. She tried to visit every country in the world and every state in the US and while she was there she would learn as much as she could about the country. When not on a cruise, she enjoyed workouts and events at the Senior Center, trips to Elderhostel events, nature walks, the local museums and parks, and visiting with family. In 1950 she met and married the now late Richard M. Thomas, also a World War II Veteran. They were married for 48 years. Betty moved to Collierville, TN in 2005 after receiving a diagnosis of “legally blind” and eventually moved in with her daughter, Caroline, who says the last few years were the best years of her life and the house already feels so empty. Betty is survived by three children, Hazel Thomas Ogdon of Memphis, TN; Caroline Thomas of Collierville, TN; Curtis Thomas of Baltimore, MD; and five grandchildren. The family will receive friends from 1:30 in the afternoon until the memorial service begins at 2:00, on Sunday, August 30, 2015 at Memphis Funeral Home, 5599 Poplar Ave.