Louis and Jane Thomas’s son (I was close with his mother, Jane Thomas)
William L. Thomas
NEW HARTFORD
William (Poppie) L. Thomas, 92, of New Hartford, died on Friday, September 13, 2013, at the Presbyterian Home.
He was born on June 24, 1921, in Utica, a son of the late Louis and Jane Thomas. He attended UFA and served in the United States Navy during WWII. Bill married Ione Miller on January 17, 1942, in Grace Church, Utica. He worked for Drop Forge as a supervisor and later worked as a design engineer for Chicago Pneumatic.
Bill was a member of Grace Church and the New Hartford American Legion Post 1376, where he donated many hours in helping build the Legions current location. Bill was also a member of the Utica Masonic Lodge. Bill looked forward to bowling with his friends from Chicago Pneumatic and playing golf with his friends from both the Legion and Chicago Pneumatic. Bill was very handy and enjoyed working with his hands and was always willing to help anyone with a project. He took great pride in building a catamaran sailboat that his family enjoyed for many years.
He is survived by his loving wife, Ione Thomas, of New Hartford; daughter, Gayl Mineo and her husband, Ron, of New Hartford; grandchildren, Deborah Fournier and her fiance, Mike, of Whitesboro, William Mineo and his wife, Laurie, of Cassville, and Tina Barnhill and her husband, Brett, of Atlanta, GA; great-grandson, Chayce Fournier; and many nieces and nephews.
The funeral will be on Wednesday at 6:00 at the Dimbleby, Friedel, Williams & Edmunds Funeral Home, 13 Oxford Rd., New Hartford. Interment will be on Thursday at 10:00 in Crown Hill Memorial Park, with Military Honors. Calling hours will be on Wednesday from 4:00 to 6:00 prior to the funeral.
In lieu of flowers, please consider the in memory of Bill.
For online expression of sympathy go to
www.dfwefh.com
Published in The Observer-Dispatch from Sept. 15 to Sept. 16, 2013
Amanda S. Stevenson 
