Otis M. Thomas

Otis M. Thomas, 97, of Sedalia, passed away on Saturday, December 17, 2022, at Sylvia G. Thompson Resident Center, Sedalia. He was born on September 19, 1925, on a farm near Smithton. He was the 7th generation from the original pioneering families of Pettis County in the 1850s. Otis was the sixth child of a family of eight children. His parents were Rollie and Melvania Elizabeth (Brownfield) Thomas.

Otis grew up in the Smithton area and graduated from Smith-Cotton in 1943. On his eighteenth birthday, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Otis served in the Pacific, including the five weeks for the battle of Iwo Jima. In addition to combat, he was with the 5th Marine Division when they occupied Japan.

After the war, Otis enrolled in the University of Missouri at Columbia graduating in 1950 with a B.S. in Business Administration and a minor in Accounting.

Otis met his future wife, Lois Burton, on a blind date. They were married on December 29, 1948, at the First Christian Church located on Massachusetts Street, in Sedalia. She preceded him in death in July 2020. Otis and Lois had four children: Marjorie, Martha, Marcia, and Mark; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren completed the family.

His lifelong work was farming in the Hughesville area and also north of Sedalia. He raised cattle, and feeder pigs, and grew row crops. Otis enjoyed playing golf, bridge, and pitch. He also wrote several books.

Otis as a child attended Flat Creek Baptist Church. He was a member of the First Christian Church teaching adult Sunday School, singing in the choir, and serving as a lifetime Elder and Deacon. He was active in American Legion Post 16, the 40 and 8, Masonic Lodge 236 AF&AM, Scottish Rite, and Shrine Club in Sedalia, and Scottish Rite and Ararat Shrine in Kansas City.

Otis loved his Country, Sedalia, Hughesville, and Pettis County. He valued his many friends over so many years. He loved his children and their families.

A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at Rea Funeral Chapel. Graveside service will follow at Highland Sacred Gardens with Dr. Chad McMullin officiating. Full military honors will be conducted by the U.S. Marine Corps. and Sedalia VFW Post 2591.

Pallbearers will be Karis Thomas, Dwayne Thomas, Sherman Healey, Chet Healey, Greg Harrell, and Mike Mittenburg.

Honorary bearers will be Jerry Smith, Robert Wiley, John Knaus, and George Whitman.