Ivan Willard Thomas, 95, died peacefully at 10:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010, at his home in Liberty Estates, Carbondale.
Services will be held at the First Christian Church of Sesser on Monday, Aug. 30, conducted by the Rev. Kirk Packer. Visitation is from 9 to 11 a.m. with the service beginning at 11 a.m. Burial will be at Maple Hill Cemetery in Sesser.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the charity of your choice or to the First Christian Church of Sesser.
Ivan was born June 5, 1915, to Fred and Veva Thomas. He was a lifelong resident of Sesser until his move to Carbondale in 2008. He married Elizabeth Juanita Warner on Oct. 1, 1936. Juanita preceded Ivan in death in 1999. They were married for 63 years.
Ivan was a member of the First Christian Church of Sesser for over 75 years.
Ivan worked as a purchasing agent and warehouse clerk for Zeigler Coal Company. He was a past president of Sesser School Board, a city clerk and willingly served to help his community.
Ivan and Juanita enjoyed traveling and recording family history. Together they traced the Thomas family ancestry to the 16th century and prepared a composite of documents supporting their findings.
As an accomplished singer with perfect pitch and tone, Ivan had a resonant voice and was continually asked to sing at events throughout the Southern Illinois area. As an active member of the Sesser Christian Church, he sang for many church functions and with various choirs and quartets. In recent years, he enjoyed singing with the Sesser Area Community Choir with his dear friend, Gayla Stubblefield, among others. Ivan joyfully shared his gift with anyone who asked for a song or a harmony.
Ivan was very proud of the longstanding track record he set at Sesser High School. He ran the 100-yard dash in 9.95 seconds in 1934 and that record still stands today. At age 90, Ivan won his age group in the 100 meter dash in the Southern Illinois Senior Olympics.
Survivors include Ivan’s sons, Noble Larry Thomas, and wife Ruth, of Carbondale and Gary Ivan Thomas, and wife Deborah, of Makanda. Ivan is also survived by five grandchildren Larry (Lisa) Thomas of Carbondale, Lisa Hamann of Waterloo, Amy (Adam) Halstead of Madison, Wis., Molly Thomas (and fiancé Scott Kloehn) of Madison, Wis., and Ryan (Vanessa) Thomas of Carbondale. Ivan was very proud of his family and the accomplishments of his sons, his grandchildren, their spouses and his seven great-granddaughters that he cherished, Allyson and Breanna Thomas, Kelsey and Kaylee Hamann, Maya and Zoe Halstead, and Hannah Thomas.
