Melvin F. Thomason

Melvin ( Mel) F. Thomason, Sr., age 89, former resident of North Adams and Williamstown, Massachusetts, passed away, Friday February 21, 2014 at Morningside of Conyers, an assisted living facility in Conyers, GA. Melvin was born March 19, 1924 to the late Elbert Leslie and Barbara E. (Thomann) Thomason. He attended high school in North Adams, MA, and American University in Washington, DC. He then married Ethel E. Overbaugh, in 1943 and following Ethels' passing in 1970, he married Frances ( Betty) E. Burkhardt in 1973. Melvin worked for the US Secret Service, White House Division, during the administrations of Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon. Almost simultaneously, he served in the US Army Reserves for 20 years, earning a retirement at age 60. During WWII, he fought bravely as a Browning Automatic Machine Gun Infantryman in the 84th Infantry Division, from the shores of Normandy to west of the Rhine River in Germany, earning numerous medals, including the Silver Star. He was fiercely proud of his military service, attending almost all 84th Infantry Division reunions. Following the war, he was a carpenter and a policeman while living in Williamstown on Hoxsey St. with his wife Ethel, along with his daughter and two sons. He was an avid fisherman and hunter all his life, always taking his beloved dogs with him on all his trips. He also enjoyed reading, gardening, listening to Atlanta Braves baseball games on the radio and especially researching his family genealogy in his later years. Melvin is survived by his son, Melvin F. Thomason, Jr. of Palm Coast, FL; daughter, Barbara Johnson of Conyers, GA; wife, Frances Thomason of Conyers, GA; sister, Alice Tavelli Hunkler of North Adams, MA; eight grandchildren; fifteen great grandchildren; two great great grandsons; several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Elbert (July 1982) and Barbara (April 1958), his first wife Ethel (June 1970), brother, Allen John Martin Thomason (April 2013) and son Gary Laurence Thomason (October 2001). The family will receive friends at Scot Ward Funeral Services, 699 American Legion Road, Conyers, GA, on Wednesday, February 26, 2014, from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm. Burial will take place at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, at a later date.

Melvin F. Thomason

March 19, 1924 - February 21, 2014