William "Bill" Roy Thomas

William “Bill” Roy Thomas, age 75, of Warsaw, Missouri, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. His oldest son, Brian, was at his bedside after courageous medical battles. His family and friends had been by his side to support him before he saddled up for the last ride.

Bill was born in Springhill, Missouri, on February 1, 1950, to the late Hubert Clay and Lelah Leona (McCracken) Thomas. He grew up in Chillicothe and graduated from Chillicothe High School in 1968. On May 30, 1969, he married Beverly June Grimes in Chillicothe. They had two sons, Brian and Jared, during their years of marriage.

On August 15, 1969, at the age of 19, Bill enlisted in the Missouri Army National Guard where he served 7 years. He valued this service highly and attained the rank of Motorpool Sergeant while serving with the 1st Battalion, 129th Field Artillery.

Bill had a love for construction and the outdoors. Since the mid-1970s, Bill was passionate about deer hunting with Larry Johnson, whom he thought of as a brother. In 2003, he was forced to medically retire after being injured on the job, but he tried to stay active. Since Bill was a young boy, he had a love for horses. During his life, he had a passion for owning and riding horses. Moon was his favorite roping horse, and Dancer was his Paint horse he raised from a foal. Unfortunately, due to his injury, he was heartbroken when he could no longer ride horses again. Five years ago, he moved to Warsaw, Missouri, to be a river rat where he enjoyed catching BlueCat and Crappie. During the warmer months, you could always find him and his son, Brian, selling produce and making new friends at every turn. Bill was a cowboy who had a love for everyone and never knew a stranger.

Bill is survived by his sons, Brian Thomas of Warsaw, Missouri, Jared Thomas of Smithville, Missouri; his brothers, Floyd “Butch” Thomas of Mooresville, Missouri, Darrell (Jeanie) Thomas of Liberty, Missouri, Dale (Sherry) Thomas of Chillicothe, Missouri; his sister, Linda (David) Strange of Jefferson City, Missouri; grandchildren, Tabby Smith, Trever Thomas, Jace Thomas, Lily Thomas, Cole Thomas; great-grandchildren, Kaelyn Smith, Tegan Smith; many nieces, nephews and cousins that he loved and adored. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Lloyd “Bud” Thomas, and sister-in-law Linda Thomas.

Funeral services will be held at Heritage Funeral Home, Chillicothe, Missouri, on Friday, May 23, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. Visitation at Heritage Funeral Home, Chillicothe, Missouri, on Friday, May 23, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Burial will be held at Blue Mound Cemetery, Blue Mound, Missouri.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for contributions to be made to help support final expenses in William “Bill” Thomas’ name to Heritage Funeral Home.