He was born November 19, 1928, in Columbus, Ohio, a son of the late William P. Thomas Sr. and Elma A. Wildman.
He was a graduate of Montclair High School in Montclair, NJ, in June of 1947, and a graduate of Waynesburg College in June of 1951. He was also a graduate of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He served as both an enlisted man and commissioned officer during the Korean War.
After his military service, he returned to Waynesburg. He attended and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1959, after which he returned to Waynesburg, where he practiced for 45 years as a member and partner of the law firm of Pollock, Pollock, and Thomas.
He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Waynesburg, where he served as a member of the board of deacons, and as an ordained elder.
On June 10, 1951, he married Florinda B. Pollock, who predeceased him on November 12, 2019. They were the parents of four children: William P. Thomas III (Barbara) of Spraggs, PA; Robert E. Thomas (Sandra) of Winston-Salem, NC; Karl A. Thomas (Michele) of Indiana, PA; and Karen Locklear (John) of Jarvisburg, NC. He is also survived by eleven grandchildren: Katherine A. Law, Sarah E. Bowman, Laura A. Carpenter, Brian Yeager, John T. Locklear, Hannah G. Locklear, Sara K. Locklear, Isaac W. Locklear, Ian D. Locklear, Joseph L. Locklear, and Samuel L. Locklear; 3 great-granddaughters; and 2 great-great-granddaughters.
Three sisters, Esther G. Thomas, Lee Robinson, and Mary Hudson predeceased him.
He was a member and chairman of the board of trustees of Greene County Memorial Hospital for thirty-three years. He also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Mon General Hospital of Morgantown, West Virginia. He served as a mental health review officer for Greene County. He was also a member of the Board of Public Assistance of Greene County.
He was a 32nd degree mason and a Past Master of Waynesburg 153 F. & A.M.
