Carl William Thomas – Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy

From a contemporary press report:

Carl William Thomas, 77, a retired grain marketing specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a Navy pilot who served in the Pacific in World War II, died of congestive heart failure December 2, 1997 at his home in Falls Church, Virginia.

Mr. Thomas was born in Springfield, Missouri. He began his Navy service in 1938 and was designated a naval aviator in 1941. He was aboard the aircraft carrier Lexington when it was sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, and he later served aboard the aircraft carrier Enterprise. He remained in the reserve after the war and retired in 1969 with the rank of lieutenant commander.

In the late 1940s, Mr. Thomas moved to the Washington area. He graduated from George Washington University, where he majored in economics, and went to work for the Department of Agriculture in 1951. He retired in 1980.

Mr. Thomas was a deacon at Falls Church Presbyterian Church and a member of American Legion Post No. 41.

Survivors include his wife, Christine J. Thomas, and a son, Carl W. Thomas Jr., both of Falls Church.


THOMAS, CARL W., SR., LCDR, USNR (Ret.)

On Monday, December 22, 1997, LCDR CARL W. THOMAS, SR., USNR (Ret.) of Falls Church, VA; beloved husband of Christine J. Thomas of 50 years; father of Carl W. Thomas, Jr.; and also survived by a cousin, Mary Eleanor Witherspoone. A funeral service wil be held 9 a.m., Tuesday, January 6, 1998 at the Fort Myer Chapel, Fort Myer, VA with full military honors. Interment Arlington National Cemetery. Memorials may be made to The Falls Church Presbyterian Church, 225 East Broad St., Falls Church, VA 22046

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