Richard Mahar Thomas, Sr.

Richard Mahar Thomas, Sr. (Dick), age 95, of Ballwin, Missouri, Fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church, on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Saint Louis, Missouri. He was born in Kirkwood, Missouri on October 27, 1928 to David and Katherine Thomas (nee Dooley).

Richard is survived by his loving children, Richard Thomas, Jr., Mark (Gina) Thomas, Tracy McGrath, Carole Thomas-Errante, and Barry Thomas; treasured grandchildren, Mandy (Justin) Stevens, Blake (Katie Francis) McGrath, Chelsea (Yianni ) Rinios, Michael (Vanessa Aguilus) Lipka, Matt Thomas, and Tara (Sean Douglas) Thomas; cherished great-grandchildren, Skyler Hill, Emery Stevens, and Emmanuel Rinios; and nieces, nephews, other family members, and many friends.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 72 years and middle school sweetheart, Jo Ann Thomas; treasured son, Tod Thomas; dear parents, David and Katherine Thomas; and loving brothers, Fr. David Thomas and Jimmy Thomas.

Richard was a longtime friend of Bill W., who just celebrated 45 years on February 4th. He took great pride in having sponsored over 100 people, helping them in their recovery. Richard was very grateful to be a part of the program and to have had the opportunity to share his faith and story with the men he sponsored and other members of the program. He was a graduate of Coyle High School, class of 1946, and St. Louis University. Richard was a devout Catholic, who had a strong faith in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. He felt very thankful and blessed to have the Holy Spirit in his life, always knowing He was there to lead and guide him. He was a longtime and active parishioner of St. Joseph Church of Manchester.

Richard was a very detail oriented person, who did everything with excellence. No matter where he was going he always took the time to make sure he looked his very best, always making sure he was presenting his best self to the people around him. This was just who he was, it came very naturally to him.

He served his country with honor in the United States Navy, and then went on to retire from West County BMW after a 22 year career as a Service Manager. He later returned to work at Enterprise for an additional 7 years, finally retiring at age 86. Richard was always generous when others were in need of help, and loved to crack jokes and was goofy at parties to get everyone to laugh. One of his nephews called him "Uncle Blueberry", and one of his trademark lines was "It's showbiz!" He was a very charismatic and funny person, who always put a smile on people's faces. Richard was always thoughtful and giving, and was there to lend support, mentorship, and love to his family and extended family.

Our Dad was a very good example to all his children, and he was so much fun. We love him so much and will always be so grateful for our Dad. When we were little kids, our Dad used to talk like Donald Duck and made us all laugh hysterically. He took us sleigh riding, where we would hold onto the bumper of his car and he would pull us down the street in the snow. So many of our childhood friends would come to hang out at our house with our Dad, he was very personable with everybody, and was so much fun to be with. We have so many wonderful memories of our Dad, there's just too many to really express.


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