The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Born on May 15, 1952 in Colville WA to Robert Reeves Thomas and Anna Cecilia Thomas.

Growing up in Coville WA his parents taught him about baseball, fishing and the love of the outdoors.

He attended Aster elementary school until 1962 when the family relocated to Dayton WA. He graduated from Dayton high school in 1970. During high school he was active in sports including Football, Basketball, Baseball and Golf.

Upon graduation he was employed for summer work for the Green Giant pea and green bean harvest.

In the fall of 1970 he enrolled in at EWSC, now EWU in Cheney WA. In the fall of 1971 he enrolled in Walla Walla Community College.

Spring of 1972 found him employed by Green Giant again, seeding pea fields then harvesting green beans in Post falls Idaho. He also worked in the wheat fields for local Dayton farmers.

In the fall of 1973, he enrolled at Chapman College in Orange California. Chapman was affiliated with World Campus afloat and he spent a semester at sea. During this time he visited sixteen ports in Asia, the south Pacific and Australia.

In 1974 he was hired by Columbia County Farm Bureau where he worked for nineteen years.

In the fall of 1995, he enrolled in Walla Walla community college in their turf management program. During that time, he worked at the Walla Walla country club and later at the Touchet Valley Gold Club in Dayton, Wash.

After he received his Bachelor of Science degree, he was hired at Oak Knoll Golf club in West Salem Oregon, later he moved to the Dallas Golf Club in the Dalles Oregon. After eight years he moved back to Dayton to work at the Touchet Valley Golf club. He finished his work career working for the Columbia County Road Dept.

He enjoyed slo-pitch softball with the Farm Bureau team, looking for mushrooms, cutting firewood, Mariner baseball, WSU sports, and picking huckleberries, which he learned at an early age from his parents. Fishing, steelhead, trout, crappie and salmon and hunted for deer, elk and upland birds continuing his love of the outdoors.

Norm is survived by his sister-in-law Robin Thomas, eldest nephew Andrew George Thomas, wife Joanna and great nephew Gavin of Maui, Hawaii. Benjamin Thomas, wife Bethaney, great nephews; Oliver, Charlie and twin sister Emma, of McCall Idaho and Mathew Lee Thomas of Clarkston Wash. Also survived by numerous first cousins.

I will miss you all. In Lieu of a funeral, I wish all folks to donate to Tunnel to Towers to help others or St Jude Children’s Hospital.