Pamela Scourton Thomas

Pamela Scourton Thomas

On Thursday, July 8, 2021, Pamela Thomas transitioned from this life and entered eternal rest with our Holy Father. Unfortunately, Pam contracted liver disease in 2020 and although she tried to fight it, the disease was just too much for her body to bear.

Pam was born in Beaumont, Texas on November 20, 1956, the only child of Walter and Lillie Scourton. Pam’s parents were educated people and they made sure Pam was too. She did well in school and exhibited early musical talent. She played piano with her mom as a young girl and as was selected as a violin player to the All-District Orchestra of the Beaumont Independent School District in 1972.

After high school, Pam left Beaumont to attend Saint Thomas University in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Saint Thomas and then attended the University of Houston to earn a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology.

While studying at the University of Houston, she met Craig Thomas in the Fall of 1978. They dated for several years, fell in love, and were married on June 25, 1983.

Pam and Craig moved to Dallas, Texas that summer and she began the next phase of her life. Pam worked for a while as a medical assistant and enjoyed being a new wife. Eventually, she became a full-time counselor at Ursuline Academy of Dallas.

Within a few years, baby Kirk came along and enlarged the Thomas family. A few years after that, baby Clark came too. By then, with two young children at home, Pam had a change-of-heart and decided to become a full-time mother. No more getting up at 5:30 am to drive to North Dallas and counsel high school kids at Ursuline. No more working at First Eye Care and dealing with the public and her husband all day long. No more Links meetings and Alpha Kappa Alpha meetings or anything else besides being a good mom to Kirk and Clark and a good wife to Craig.

While raising Kirk and Clark, Pam began to pursue other intellectual interests. She became an advocate for many social causes and lectured to many groups on multiple topics through the years. Pam studied history extensively and was an expert on the Civil War and Reconstruction, Buffalo Soldiers, Black Indians and Women’s Rights.

In addition, Pam studied and chronicled her family’s history. She traced her family’s founders, Jim and Winnie Shankle, back to when they were both slaves and documented their trek to freedom and the founding of Shankleville. After that fact-finding journey, Pam became the family’s go-to resource for genealogical information.

Although she was never published, Pam was a prolific writer. She was a member of several writer’s groups and was often used as a proofreader by members of the groups. Comically, Pam had several unfinished novels and said she was always going to get around to getting them done one day.

In her later years, Pam was mostly a stay-at-home mom taking care of Clark and Craig. She enjoyed the simple pleasures of life like talking on the telephone with her cousin Pam or resting in bed while reading a good book.

Pam is preceded in death by her parents. She leaves to mourn: Her husband of 38 years, Craig Thomas: two sons, Kirk Thomas and Clark Thomas: cousins Pamela Price, Kenneth Walters, Michael Renfro, Eric Renfro, Sherri Renfro, Dr. Sheila Scott and Stephanie Mitchell.