Update/obituary: Capt. Earl Newton Thomas

[PCN DEATH Notice Mgr]

Update/obituary: Capt. Earl Newton Thomas

A memorial service will take place 1:00 PM Saturday, August 28 at
Carmichael-Hemperley Funeral Home, 135 Senoia Road, Peachtree City
Georgia 30269. There will be no viewing.

~ Carol Faulkner, PCN death notice communicator
de...@pilotcommunication.net
---------------------------------------------------

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/atlanta/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=144909261

EARL NEWTON THOMAS Earl Newton Thomas, 88, died on August 20th after
an extended illness at his home in Peachtree City surrounded by
members of his family. Thomas was a retired airline pilot and a
decorated combat veteran of World War II. He and his family settled in
the Atlanta metro area when he took a position with Delta Airlines in
1949. Born in Bluefield, West Virginia on November 16th, 1921, Thomas
grew up in Roanoke, Virginia where he was a high school athlete with
considerable talent; he played football, basketball and baseball. When
World War II began, Thomas joined the Army National Guard. His unit
was called to active duty when the U.S. entered the war. At that time,
Thomas applied for duty as an aviation cadet thus beginning a career
in flying. Thomas completed basic aviation training and advanced
training in the B-17 "Flying Fortress" at a number of different bases
in the U.S. He earned his commission as a Second Lieutenant and his
pilot's wings in May of 1943. In December, 1943 he ferried one of the
big bombers to the European Theater of Operations--the air war in
Europe. Upon arrival in the United Kingdom, he was permanently
assigned to the 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) at RAF Molesworth,
commonly known as the "Hell's Angels." During his tour, Thomas flew 33
credited combat missions in the B-17 including bombing support for the
D-Day invasion at Normandy. In late 1944, as a newly promoted Captain,
and a lead crew pilot, Thomas flew his last B-17 mission attacking oil
refineries at Hamburg. For his role in that aattack, he received the
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). Due to his competence as a pilot and
his leadership, all of his original crew completed their combat tours
without injury. One of his co-pilots, Ed Miller, said, "Tommy was the
best pilot I ever knew. He taught me just about everything I learned,
more than in the formal schools." After finishing his B-17 time,
instead of accepting reassignment back to lighter duties stateside,
Thomas volunteered to fly the P-51 "Mustang" in an innovative new
reconnaissance unit at Steeple Morden airfield. As one of the first
bomber pilots to join the First Scouting Force, he would fly ten
missions before being assigned as a flying instructor back home. He
had earned the DFC with one oak leaf cluster and the Air Medal with
four oak leaf clusters. When the war ended, Thomas hired on with Trans-
World-Airlines flying the DC-3 out of New York. It was there that his
met his wife of 59 years, Patricia Northington Thomas a United
Airlines Stewardess. When he was later employed by Delta, he piloted
at one time or another every aircraft the company used including the
last plane that he flew which was the L-1011. Thomas retired from
Delta Airlines as a Captain in 1981 having amassed over 29,000 hours
of flight time. Thomas was a skilled golfer who, at age 40 in 1961,
had the distinction of winning the first Club Championship at Lakeside
Country Club and, at age 70 in 1991, winning the last Club
Championship at that course. He also won the Delta Airlines Open
several times. Shortly before he became ill at age 87, he won a
Canongate Dogfight tournament. Always active after retirement, Thomas
took part in the Bike Ride Across Georgia every year until he was 72
years old. As a runner for many years Thomas also competed in the
Peachtree Road Race. Earlier on numerous occasions, he had ridden his
Honda Gold Wing motorcycle across the United States. Besides his wife
Patricia, Thomas is survived by children: Kathleen Bassett, Deborah
Christiansen, Mary Thomas and John R.Thomas; grandchildren: Christine
Sanderlin, Thomas Bassett, John Christiansen, Matthew Speiser, Jack
Earl Thomas and Georgia Rose Thomas and great grand-son John Bruce. A
memorial service will take place 1:00 PM Saturday, August 28 at
Carmichael-Hemperley Funeral Home, 135 Senoia Road, Peachtree City
Georgia 30269. There will be no viewing. In lieu of flowers, the
family asks that any donations in his memory be sent to Evercare
Hospice and Palliative Care, 3720 DaVincia Ct. Suite 300, Norcross,
Georgia, 30092.

Published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on August 25, 2010
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----- Original Message -----
From: PCN DEATH Notice Mgr To: Pilot Communication Net
Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 8:48 PM
Subject: PCN Death in Family: retired DL pilot Capt. Earl N. Thomas,
age 88

Word has been received of the passing of one of our oldest aviation
pioneers, that of WWII veteran and retired Delta pilot Captain Earl
Thomas. Born 11-16-1921, Earl N. Thomas Jr. was 88 years of age at
the time of his passing August 20, 2010.
After the war and a brief 2-year stint with Transcontinental and
Western Air, Captain Thomas moved to Atlanta hiring on with Delta
11-07-1949. To read more about Captain Thomas during the war days,
his bio with pictures of then and now, please go to
http://www.303rdbg.com/news/2010-02-14.html Fred Burdeshaw who
wrote the feature article is also Earl's friend and golfing buddy. As
one reads through the bio we learn that Captain Thomas had been
fighting his greatest battle ever, that of cancer (brief excerpt of
his bio below).

Services for Capt. Thomas are scheduled for Saturday, August 28, 2010,
at 1:00 PM.
Arrangements are under the direction of
Carmichael - Hemperley Funeral Home and Crematory,
135 Senoia Road, Peachtree City, GA 30269 .. (770) 631-9171

Online condolences may be left at
http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Earl-Thomas&lc=7126&mid=4354594

Survived by his wife Patricia, personal condolences may be sent to
their family at
210 Ashton Park , Peachtree City, GA 30269-3661 ... (770) 487-9446

~ Carol Faulkner, PCN death notice communicator
de...@pilotcommunication.net

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Earl N. Thomas , 1921~2010

Earl N. Thomas, 88, of Peachtree City died Friday. The body will be
cremated. Memorial service, 1 p.m. Aug. 28, Carmichael Hemperley
Funeral Home and Crematory Chapel.
Published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on August 23, 2010
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The Molesworth Pilot - February 14, 2010
http://www.303rdbg.com/news/2010-02-14.html

Thomas manned the `Flying Fortress,' rode the `Mustang'

By FREDDY BURDESHAW (Special to The Times-Herald)

Earl N. Thomas is one of a rare breed these days, even among the many
rare breeds of "The Greatest Generation" -- the Americans who won
World War II and established the United States as a
superpower. .................(pictured: Captain Earl Thomas dressed
for military duty 1944 after he had transitioned from flying B-17s to
P51s) . Earl Thomas .... took the very unusual step of volunteering
for more combat, this time flying the great P-51 "Mustang"fighter. He
eventually flew 10 combat missions in that aircraft into Germany.
The 88-year-old Thomas, a resident of Peachtree City, settled in the
metro area when he hired on with Delta in 1949. He and his wife
Patricia, have three daughters, Kathleen, Deborah, and Mary, who live
on the north side. His son, John, also lives in Peachtree City. .....