Sunday's Obituary - J. E. Thomas of Jonesboro, Louisiana

Before the Christmas holidays, my husband's cousin, Frances, met us for lunch and brought with her a box of family photos.  Shortly after we got home I started going through the box and scanning.  We took the box with us when we went to visit my father-in-law so I could go through it with him.

An unexpected treasure was this obituary of J. E. Thomas.  I had no idea who this was, but since he died in the home of my husband's grandfather, I wanted to know more.  The transcription follows.

Last Rites For J. E. Thomas Held Tuesday

   Funeral services for Mr. J. E. Thomas, age 68, of Jonesboro, who died Monday, Oct. 5th, in the home of Mr. J. C. Fowler, were held Tuesday afternoon at three o'clock in the Nazarene church here, with Rev. W. D. Peacock officiating.

   Interment was made in the Jonesboro cemetery, under direction of Edmonds Funeral Home.

  "Dad" Thomas was employed as a cook in the S. S. Cafe here for many years.  He leaves one grandson, James Thomas, to mourn his death.

When I asked my father-in-law about it, his eyes lit up and he said, "Oh, that was Dad Thomas. I never knew that was his last name, but we always called him Dad Thomas. That was another one Papa took in when he wasn't able to work any more and got turned out."

The year of his death was not given.  Searches of Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and the Jackson Parish information on the Louisiana GenWeb site have not given me more information thus far.  Based on the information in the obituary, I have added a memorial page for him in the Jonesboro Cemetery and hope to eventually find out more information even though he is not related.  A few more blog entries will be about my most recent conversation with my father-in-law.