October 15, 1933 – April 19, 2025
Otis B. “Otie” Thomas passed away Saturday, April 19, 2025, at the Presbyterian Village in Fort Scott, KS. He was born in Rhinelander, Wisconsin in 1933, the son of Francis C.O. Thomas and Gjerdis J. Thomas. Growing up together with older sisters Marie and Carolyn, he graduated in 1951 from the Griffith Institute in Springville, New York. He next matriculated at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, graduating in 1955 with a B.A. degree in Business Administration. Following university study and ROTC training, Otie married Helen Gillette of Briar Hill, New York and became an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving for four years and ultimately rising to the rank of Captain.
Upon leaving military service, Otie began a long and distinguished career in the graphics profession, serving a series of prominent national and international companies, including Graphic Controls (Buffalo), Fasson /Avery Dennison (Cleveland), Contact Products (Dallas), and Ward- Kraft(Fort Scott). Later in his career, he burnished his reputation for excellent customer service with his company Forms & Labels by Thomas and Graphic Resources/Liberty Labels. Following Helen’s passing in 2012,Otiemarried Thelma Wurtz of Fort Scott, Kansas in 2015.
While his older sisters have passed on, Otie is survived by close friends and family, including Michael McWilliams (Stanford, California) and Jennifer Froats-Washington (Dallas, Texas) together with nephews and nieces Christine Telfer (Bend, Oregon), Geoff Horn (Navasota, Texas),James Horn (Holly Lake Ranch, Texas),John Horn (Portland, Oregon) and Susan Craven
(Denton, North Carolina).
Wherever he lived and worked, Otie was a tireless supporter of church and community, a sensitive and caring friend, and a devoted fan of his favorite local and national sports teams, forever optimistic that next season might be better.
We will all miss Otie’s irrepressible smile, his boundless spirit and his steady friendship. It has been a privilege for us all to have been a part of his very rich life.
Rev. Sarah Gengler will conduct funeral services at 10:00 AM Monday, April 28th, at the First Presbyterian Church in Fort Scott. Burial will follow in the U. S. National Cemetery. The family will receive friends from9:30 AM Monday until service time at the Church. Memorials are suggested to Presbyterian Village Fort Scott and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Fort Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted online atcheneywitt.com.
