Services Thursday for William Hugh Thomas

William Hugh Thomas
1918-2017

William Hugh Thomas passed away August 6, 2017, at Crista Senior Living in Shoreline, Washington.

Bill was born to Keziah Franks Williams Thomas and John H. Thomas on November 8, 1918, at the Seattle General Hospital, and passed away three months short of his 99th birthday.

January 23, 1942, he married the love of his life, Shirley Jennings. They recently celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary surrounded by their large family.

After his graduation from Lincoln High School in Seattle in June 1937, Bill joined the U.S. Navy on his birthday at age 17, the earliest he was eligible to enlist.

During World War II, Bill worked as a carpenter’s mate on several ships. Following the war, he stayed in the Naval Reserve until 1949, when he received his discharge papers.

While in the Naval Reserve, he also worked in the Seattle Police Department until rejoining the military in April 1949, this time in the U.S. Army, as a Second Lieutenant. He retired from the Army in December 1963, as a Chief Warrant Officer in criminal investigation.

Following his graduation from the University of Washington in June 1967, Bill established the Law Enforcement program at Shoreline Community College. He retired in 1981 after teaching at SCC for 16 years.

He and Shirley spent considerable periods of time in Israel and enjoyed numerous cruises in various parts of the world. He carried out his love of gardening at their homes on Dayton Avenue North in Shoreline (1963-1973), in Kingston, Washington (1973-1995), and at Richmond Beach in Shoreline, Washington (1995-2015).

A proud Welshman through and through, Bill sang in church choirs and Welsh choirs his whole life. He especially enjoyed singing with many friends in the choir at Calvin Presbyterian Church in Shoreline.

Bill is survived by his wife, Shirley Jennings Thomas; sons John, David (Linda), Stephen (Glennyce), James (Sandra), and Daniel (Julie) Thomas; numerous nieces and nephews; 11 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, brother Robert (Aileen) Thomas and daughter-in-law Shelly Thomas.

A celebration of Bill’s life will take place at 2pm on Thursday, August 17, 2017, at Cristwood Activity Center in Shoreline, Washington, with his grandson, The Rev. Seth J. Thomas, officiating.

Donations can be made to King’s Schools at Crista Ministries, 19303 Fremont Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133.