Stone Co., AR - Obituaries - ERNEST O. THOMAS *********************************************** This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Rita Williams Holtz May 12 1998 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgenwebarchives.org *********************************************** These obituaries have been collected over the years by myself and by my mother, Norma Louise Wilcox Williams prior to her death in 1992. Most of the obituaries do not show a paper name or date published. Most of them came from The Stone County Leader in Mountain View, Stone County, Arkansas. If from another paper, this will be noted at the end of the obiturary. If there are no dates mentioned (as sometimes happens in older notices), I will attempt to include dates at the end. One final note, 99% of these people are all relatives. If someone makes a connection or would like the information I have, please contact me. ERNEST O. THOMAS Ernest O. thomas, 62, of Hopedale was found dead by a search party at 11:45 pm Saturday, Nov 20, 1971, after he failed to return from a hunting trip. Mrs. Thomas called Tazewell County Sheriff at about 6 pm, when her husband did not return home. Mrs. thomas said he left at 6:30 am Saturday to go deer hunting. Search parties comsisting of about 100 men spent hours looking for the missing man. Assisting in the search were Tazewell Sheriff's deputies, Hopedale police and firemen, county Civil Defense men and volunteers from the Delavan and Hopedale area. His body was found about half a mile from his parked care about a mile west of Hopedale in a wooded area. Tazewell County Cornoer Louis Imig said an autopsy revealed cause of death was an apparent heart attack. Imig said Mr. thomas apparentsly had died Saturday morning. An authorized Homelite dealer, Mr. Thomas owned Ernie's Swap Shop at Hopedale. Services will be a 1 pm Tuesday in Hopedale Mennonite Church. Rev. Ivan Kauffman will officiate and burial will be in the Church cemetery. Visitation will be from 6 to 9 pm tonight in Davis Mortuary, Hopedale, where Masonic rites will be held at 8:30 pm. Memorial contricutions may be made to Hopedale mennonite Church to the Heart Fund. He was born April 24, 1909 at Hardy, Ark., a sone of James and Mary Langley Thomas. He married Geneva Williams Feb 11, 1927, in Stone County, Ark. She died in 1941. He married Velma Nafziger Aug. 29, 1958 in Mountain View, Ark. and she survives. Other surviors are two sons, Clifford of Rockford and Harold of Phenix, Arizona; 10 grandchildren; a brother, Charles of Fennville, Mich.; four sisters, mrs. Gernice Rumsey in Missouuri, Mrs. Selma McCarty in Arkansas, mrs. Vada Breedlove in Iowa and Mrs. Mona Mae Bounds of Washington; a half- sister, Mrs. Edith McCallister and a half brother, Bevin Thomas, both in Arkansas. Mr. Thomas was preceded in death by two sons, a brother, and a sister. He was a member of Hopedale Maosnic Lodge and American Legion Post, and was a veteran of World War II. (Printed in the Pekin Times, Pekin Illinois)