Family and friends will gather June 13 to celebrate the life of Paul Thomas. Here’s the remembrance they’re sharing with his community:

Remembering Paul R. Thomas Sr. 1926-2024

Paul was born September 13, 1926, in Bow, WA, and passed away April 25, 2024. He came to the Seattle Georgetown neighborhood as a young child, moving to White Center and then Renton for a couple of years before returning and settling in West Seattle. He attended Cleveland and Highline High Schools.

After his mother fell ill, Paul headed to Alaska at the young age of 16 and started his lifelong work in the Maritime industry. He worked on fishing boats from 1941-1943 and then joined the Merchant Marines. Paul was a seaman on various supply ships and tugboats in the Pacific during WWII and into the early 1950s. His family loved hearing stories from his time at sea and he proudly wore his veteran hat as often as he could. Paul began working at Puget Sound Tug & Barge/Crowley Maritime in 1955 and continued in management there until his retirement in 1993.

After Paul’s retirement, he and his second wife Joann enjoyed traveling. He spent his time golfing, bowling, playing cribbage, gardening, and foraging for mushrooms and shellfish on the beaches and forests in the Pacific Northwest. Jigsaw puzzles were a favorite and he could spend hours working on them. Paul’s all-time favorite pastime was dancing at the West Seattle Corner Inn, the Eagles, or anywhere else he thought a good band was playing. He had a great group of dancing pals. He also loved celebrating his birthdays and spending time with his extended family and friends who he loved unconditionally. With six children, four stepchildren, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and even a couple of great-great-grandchildren, the parties could get pretty crowded!

Paul was always busy and had a great deal of energy. He often would be gathering oysters in the morning on Hood Canal, working all day in the yard, or making the rounds to see his kids, and still have the energy to go dancing the same evening. He would routinely meet up with friends Sunday mornings for breakfast at the Eagles well into his 90’s.

Paul was married to Adelaide Thomas and though their relationship turned out to be less permanent than either of them expected, they went on to raise six wonderful children. He married his second wife Joann Thomas and was beloved by her 4 children. They enjoyed their life together until her death. He and his friend and companion, Fran McCandless, spent loving time with their friends and families until her death. Paul is also preceded in death by six of his seven siblings, his son Earl, his stepchildren Patti and Ben, and his daughter in-law Laurie.

Paul was fiercely independent and lived on his own until 2 years ago when a fall and post-surgery complications made living alone impossible. His family is eternally grateful for the loving care he received from the Clark Residence in Burien. We can’t thank them enough!

A celebration of his life will be held June 13 at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse Emerald Room­ at 1 pm.

We love and miss you “Big Daddy.” May you be dancing on clouds without a care in the world.

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)