Jefferson “Jeff” Davis Thomas, III
November 1, 1930 – February 7, 2026
Funeral services for Jefferson “Jeff” Davis Thomas, III, 95, of Cairo, GA, are at 11:00 a.m., on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at the Clark Funeral Home Chapel, Cairo, GA. Rev. Ron McCaskill will officiate. Military Honors will be presented at the Chapel. Graveside interment will be in West Hill Cemetery, Dalton, GA, at 2:00 p.m., on Monday, February 16, 2026. Mr. Thomas passed away at Magnolia Place Senior Living, Cairo, GA, on Saturday, February 7, 2026.
Mr. Thomas was born on November 1, 1930, in Dalton, GA, to the late Jefferson Thomas, Jr. and Bertha Vining Thomas. He grew up as a country boy on a 40-acre farm and led an idyllic childhood, attending Dalton High School where he excelled in both academics and athletics, participating in high school basketball, track and football. He served his country in the United States Marine Corps from 1949 through 1952, and he married his childhood sweetheart, Laura Andrews Thomas, in 1951, who preceded him in death on December 21, 2009.
In 1956, he graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and started his long career in the fields of aerospace and communications, spanning four decades and across several states. He was at Cape Canaveral Florida during the space race of the late 1950s and then moved to Southern Nevada in the mid 1960’s where he worked at the Nevada Test Site and Area 51 during the cold war. His career ended in Los Angeles, CA working with surveillance satellites. He retired in 1989 to Atlanta, GA where he wrote his memoirs and personally explored the entire Peachtree Creek basin before moving to the area of Cairo, GA and Tallahassee, FL in 2015.
Survivors include: children, Michael Herndon Thomas (Kathleen) of Tallahassee, FL, Catherine T. Sana (Peyman) of San Diego, CA, Jefferson Davis Thomas, IV (Kerry) of Quincy, FL, Robert Bruce Thomas (Ginna) of Davis, CA; 9 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren; and 2 nieces and a nephew.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, and a brother, Bert Thomas.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Mr. Thomas’ memory to: The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, Click To Read About And Donate
The family will receive friends at Clark Funeral Home immediately following the service.
