James F. Thomas, 92, a longtime resident of Highland, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 7 at his home. Born in Poughkeepsie, he was a son of the late James Thomas Sr. and Edna Losee Thomas.
On Christmas Day, December 25, 1952, he married Lorraine (Pat) Dirk, who survives at home. They recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.
He attended the Poughkeepsie local schools. As a young man he worked at Nick Benni’s Italian Restaurants, Lucky Platt Department Store, and as a district manager for the Poughkeepsie Journal. In 1950, Jim entered the pest control field. He was the owner of Mid-Hudson Pest Control, Jim Thomas Power Equipment and Thomas Pest Control Services. Due to health reasons, Jim retired early and wintered in Boynton Beach, Florida for 30 years. He was an avid Boston Celtics fan during the Larry Bird era. He enjoyed his trips to Europe and the Hunter Mountain Festivals.
Jim was a former President of NYS Empire Pest Control Association, a regional director of the National Pest Control Association and the Associated Pest Control of North America. Jim enjoyed the seminars he attended at UMass and Rutgers Universities, for over 20 years. Jim was always proud that his daughter, son, and granddaughters have carried on the pest control tradition for 3 generations. He was a member of the National Guard for 10 years, The Elk’s Club, Dutchess and Apple Greens Golf Courses, and Mike Artega’s Fitness Center.
One of the many things we admired about our dad was his business intuition and foresight. Our father was sharp when it came to numbers and the stock market, making a living off of it in retirement for over 50 years. One of his greatest qualities was treating people fairly with respect which was admired by many.
In addition to his loving wife, Jim is survived by his five children, Susan (George) Utter, Brenda (Gene) Justino, Lori (Hardy) Marx, Jane (Howie) Fisher, and Craig (Michelle) Thomas. He was incredibly proud of his 9 grandchildren, Michael Justino, Brian Justino, Lauren Utter, Alisha Utter, Eryn Veronesi, Sarah Clark, Megan Kurek, Hayley Fisher, and Eric Thomas, and blessed to see his 3 great-grandchildren, Riley and Jaxon Clark and Christopher Justino.
Predeceased by a brother, William, and sisters, Dorothy Hill, and Jean (Sheldon) Martin. Jim is survived by his sister Mary Decker, and many other loving relatives and friends.
The Thomas family would like to thank Dr. Sankar Varanasi for many wonderful years of care at the Heart Center in Poughkeepsie and Dr. Andreas Spirig for his care in vascular surgery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Poughkeepsie Salvation Army, 19 Pershing Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.