James Blair Thomas

James (“Jim”) Blair Thomas was born July 13, 1942 in Corpus Christi, Texas. He died at the UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco on February 5th, 2017. He was preceded in death by his father Mitchell (“Mitch”) Thomas, his mother Georgia Geneva Duderstadt Thomas (“Geneva”), his brother Michael Lanier Thomas, his wife Christina de Araoz Thomas, and their daughter Anna Christina Thomas. He is survived by Belu Fan, his partner of many years Sherman Lo, first cousins Kathy Sue Duderstadt Fritze, Dolores Lynn Duderstadt Borchers and Elroy Bode, and their spouses and families.

Jim grew up with his parents in Jourdanton, Texas and attended Elementary Schools in Jourdanton and Pleasanton, Texas. At age 14 he began attending the Schreiner Institute, a military boarding school in Kerrville, Texas where he graduated two years later. He then attended the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, and the University of Mexico in Mexico City where he received a B.A. in Philosophy. He also received a Masters in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management in Glendale, AZ (“Thunderbird”), as well as an ABD in Social Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. Throughout the remainder of his life he continued his education, taking courses at U.C. Berkeley, and attending various kinds of workshops, seminars and meditative retreats. An avid reader, Jim was also fluent in Spanish.

Jim had a unique, multi-faceted personality. He always enjoyed the extra-ordinary, especially people and cultures from around the world. A true connoisseur of life and different kinds of friendships, he moved from Texas to the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1980s, first settling in Berkeley and later moving to San Francisco.

Professionally, Jim served as a strategy and learning coach to projects and executives, conducting workshops and moderating focus groups. He was a member of the American Evaluation Association and became involved with the Initiative for the Effective Use of Consultants (an initiative funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation).

Jim enjoyed music and all things of beauty in nature, especially Texas bluebonnets and California poppies. His zest for life will be greatly missed by his friends and relatives. Arrangements under the direction of San Francisco Columbarium & Funeral Home, San Francisco, CA.