From a contemporary press report: March 10, 1992
Thomas G. Thomaides, a naval aviator and former executive at McDonnell Douglas Corp., died Sunday (March 8, 1992) at St. Luke’s Hospital in west St. Louis County after suffering a heart attack. He was 70.
Mr. Thomaides, of Chesterfield, won a commission as an ensign after graduating in 1944 from the U.S. Naval Academy. He went on to aviation school, won his pilot’s wings and served his career as an aviator, retiring in 1964 with the rank of commander.
After his retirement, Mr. Thomaides went to work in California for McDonnell Douglas. After two years there, he transferred to St. Louis and became material manager for the F-15 Eagle program before retiring in 1975.
His first wife, Marjorie Thomaides, died in 1971. Survivors include his second wife, Marydelle Thomaides; a son, Thomas G. Thomaides Jr. of Baltimore; three daughters, Lynn Thomaides of Statesville, N.C., Judy Cowan of Torrance, Calif., and Janice Shoaf of San Diego; two stepsons, John J. Sheehan and Donald J. Sheehan, both of St. Louis; a stepdaughter, Nancy Garvey of St. Louis; a brother, Theodore Thomaides of Cherry Hill, N.J.; and a sister, Eleanore Warren of Kilmarnock, Va.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Incarnate Word Catholic Church, 13461 Olive Boulevard in Chesterfield. Burial will be Thursday in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., just across the Potomac River from Mr. Thomaides’ hometown, Washington.
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. today at Kriegshauser West Mortuary, 9450 Olive Boulevard in Olivette.
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard