Mark Alan Thomas

Mark Alan Thomas passed away peacefully on May 20, 2024. Mark was the youngest of four kids who grew up on a hog and cattle farm just north of Sedalia, MO. While attending Smith-Cotton, he played basketball, soccer, and golf. He earned his Eagle Scout in 1979 and hiked Philmont that summer.

He was an avid golfer who played on the Smith-Cotton High School golf team. Years later, he was a regular at Meadowbrook Country Club in Prairie Village, KS, where he hit his first hole-in-one. In San Diego, CA, he especially enjoyed playing golf with his two brothers-in-law, George Johnson and Ray Weamer.

Mark earned a degree in Finance from Columbia College. He worked in the insurance industry, selling small-group health insurance to businesses and medical malpractice insurance to doctors.

Mark met his wife, Pamela, at the Stephens College golf course driving range. They dated for seven years and married in Coronado, CA, in 1991. They enjoyed playing golf, watching classic black-and-white movies, discovering new restaurants, and trying to recreate the restaurant meals at home. He was well known for great dinners that started on the Weber grill. A house in Leawood, KS, a black labrador, and baby Margaret followed in the next four years.

Mark was a talented drummer who liked nothing better than to play along with his favorite songs from the Allman Brothers Band, the Grateful Dead, and CCR.

His favorite authors were F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ayn Rand. He also liked to read the obituary page when we still had newspapers.

Fatherhood was an opportunity for Mark to share his outdoor passions with his daughter. Together, they would go fishing in streams, lakes, and the ocean. He especially enjoyed taking her camping on the farm. Often, they would pitch a tent in the pasture right next to the cattle and wake up to the sounds of hungry bovines. In the evenings, they would create a big bonfire for hot dogs, settlers' beans, and cowboy cookies. The whole family would come down for the tasty cookouts.

Mark shared his time and talents with others. After moving to Sedalia to care for his parents, he joined Calvary Episcopal Church. He valued the spiritual community. After a few years, he served as Senior Warden.

Mark is survived by his daughter, Margaret Thomas of Prairie Village, KS; his former wife, Pamela Thomas of Coronado, CA; and three sisters, Marjorie Gutelius (Jay) of Liberty, MO, Marcia Thomas of Centerville, IA, and Martha Healey of Athens, TX.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Lois Burton Thomas and Otis Marvin Thomas.

A funeral service will be held at Calvary Episcopal Church, located at 713 S. Ohio, Sedalia, Missouri, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. with the Rev. Anne Meredith Kyle officiating. All are welcome as we celebrate the life of Mark Thomas.