Glenn Thomas

Glenn E. Thomas was born at home in Hollywood, Arkansas on February 12, 1927. He was the son of Laura and Elbert Thomas, a farmer/cattleman. Glenn attended Clark County public schools in a small rural one-room schoolhouse in Hollywood. He left school in the ninth grade to assist on the family farm following a truck accident that seriously injured his father.

After serving in the U.S. Army, in occupational forces in Europe during the Korean War, Glenn returned to work for the Louisiana & Arkansas Railway Company in Shreveport. Later, he enrolled at Henderson State Teachers College in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, attended the University of Texas in Austin, and graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1957 with a business degree in marketing. Following college, Glenn briefly worked for Gulf Oil Corporation in Jonesboro, Arkansas and for an Arkansas gubernatorial candidate. Later that year he accepted a position in development on the national staff of the March of Dimes. His career with The Dimes' took him from Little Rock to Kansas City to New York City, to New Orleans, to Dallas, To San Francisco and in 1976, to Denver. He retired from The Dimes' in 1980 and started a new career in residential real estate with Van Schaack & Company, later joining The Kentwood Company.

Glenn's hobbies were sports, and field and stream. He had fond memories of hunting with his father during his youth. His favorite game bird was the Bobwhite Quail. He was introduced to the long-tailed, brightly-colored pheasant when he transferred to the Rocky Mountain Region. He was fascinated by it. Glenn always had a good bird dog or two. Glenn always said, I've never had a bad day." His can-do attitude was his minds paintbrush and it could color any situation. He felt that nothing was impossible if you just put your mind to it and maintained a positive attitude.

He was preceded in death by his former wife, Patricia Walton of Arkadelphia, who died in 1968. They had three children, Angela, Stephen, and Amanda. Glenn has a daughter, Christine, from a previous marriage. Glenn was a former member of Hope United Methodist Church, the Rotary Club of Denver, the 22 Ranch Gun Club, and a supporter of Denver Kids and his fraternity at the University of Arkansas, Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Glenn is survived by his wife, Catherine Cooper Campbell, and his children: Angela Gilden of New York City, William Stephen Walton Thomas (Karena) of Woolgoolga, Australia, Amanda Thomas (Robert Bruner) of Billings, Montana, and Christine Tesmer (Chris) of Denver; two stepchildren, Kendal Heise (Kim) and Clark Campbell (Carina) of the Denver area; four grandchildren, Robin, Jasmine, Jenna, and Madison; a brother, Bill Thomas (Betty) of Birmingham; two sisters, Betty Duke of Arkadelphia, and Polly Wallace of Fort Worth.


Funeral services will be 11:00 AM Tuesday, March 6, 2007 at Ruggles-Wilcox Chapel with Rev. Loyd Perry officiating.

Interment will be in the McAnally Cemetery in Hollywood.

Visitation will be 6-8 PM Monday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, suggested contributions may be made to McAnally Cemetery or Hollywood Methodist Church.

Glenn died Monday, February 26, 2007 from congestive heart failure. He was 80 years young.