Rev. Paul Truman Thomas, 81, of Tifton passed away Monday, January 14, 2019, at Houston Medical Center in Warner Robins. His funeral service will be held at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, January 20, 2019, in the Sanctuary of Tifton’s First Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Wayne Roe and the Rev. John Hughes officiating. Rev. Thomas will be laid to rest at Oak Ridge Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Saturday, January 19, 2019, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals.
Harold Abbott, Jerry Branch, Mike Bland, Bill Johnson, Bill Arnold, Greg Sowell, Earl Branch, Dan Branch, John Woodruff and Dr. Joe Turner will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be the members of the Joyful Sound Choir, Adult II Sunday School Department and Deacons of Tifton’s First Baptist Church.
Born February 6, 1937 in Macon, Rev. Thomas was the son of the late Paul T. Thomas and Evelyn Coston Thomas. He was also preceded in death by one sister, Betty S. McKenzie. He graduated from Stetson University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity and Masters of Religious Education. He was a retired minister and served as Youth Minister and Missions Pastor at First Baptist Church in Orlando, Florida from 1963-1970; at First Baptist Church of Thomasville from 1970-1977; as Minister of Education and Administration at First Baptist Church in Tifton from 1977-1992 and again from 2000-2004; and First Baptist Church of Griffin from 1992-2000. He was President of the PTO of Northside Elementary; Secretary of the Clean Community Commission; member of the Tifton Kiwanis Club; President of the Georgia Baptist Ministers of Education; President of the Georgia Baptist Southern Seminary Alumni; served four terms on the Board of Directors at Baptist Village in Waycross; served with Meals on Wheels; and taught a Sunday School Training Courses for the Georgia Baptist Convention. He was a member of Tifton’s First Baptist Church, where he was President of the Joyful Sound Choir and worked with the children’s choir and served on the Board of Deacons. He was director of the Adult II Sunday School Department.
Rev. Thomas is survived by his wife, Elizabeth “Betty” Fields Thomas of Tifton; two sons and daughters-in-law, Dr. Ken and Norma Thomas of Bishop and Andy and Jennifer Thomas of Warner Robins; six grandchildren, Nathan Thomas, Anna Thomas, Blake Thomas, Alice Thomas, Elizabeth Thomas and Mary Margaret Thomas; and his nephew, Barry McKenzie of Mount Dora, Florida.
Flowers will be accepted or memorial gifts may be made to Connect Ministries, c/o Ken Thomas, 1431 Capital Avenue, Suite 123, Watkinsville, GA 30677.