Deryl John Thomas

Deryl John Thomas passed away on August 8, 2024, at age 88. He was born to Glen and Effie Thomas on April 23, 1936, in Hutchinson, Minnesota. He was baptized at Peace Lutheran in Cosmos, Minnesota, on July 10, 1936.

Deryl grew up in the Cosmos, Minnesota area, attending Cosmos Community School and later graduating from Litchfield High School in June 1954. For a few months after high school, he worked a few odd jobs in the Cosmos area until November 15, 1954, when he entered the U.S. Air Force. Deryl stayed in the U.S. Air Force until retiring as a Senior Master Sergeant (E-8) on June 30, 1978. However, this did not mean the end of his time with USAF, as, for the next 37 years, Deryl worked for a civilian contractor at Beale Air Force Base until his final retirement in June of 2017.

He married his first wife, Kimie Ishiguro, on July 19, 1957. Together, the couple had two children – Debra Davis and Rick Thomas. This marriage ended on March 30, 1979. He then married Sunye Pak on May 24, 1979, and had two more children – Tricia Matsis and Jason Thomas. This marriage ended on March 13, 1988. He united in marriage to Mieko Kawakami on September 16, 1988, and the couple has been together ever since.

Proceeding Deryl in death was his father, Glen Thomas, and his mother, Effie Thomas. He is survived by his two sisters, Sharron and Annie; his loving wife, Mieko Thomas; his four children, Debra, Rick, Tricia, and Jason; his six grandchildren, Nathan, Kaitlin, Kenji, Koji, Mason, and Kaira; and ten great-grandchildren Amare, Akiko, Julien, Kodi, Hana, Yumi, Koji II, David, Marcus and Kyra.