Edward Joseph Thomas

Visitation for retired Meridian police officer Edward J. Thomas will be Friday, February 7, at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church with Father Augustine Palimattam conducting a funeral Mass at 11 a.m.

Eddie was with family when he passed away on Monday, February 3, following a long struggle with cancer. He was 66.

He epitomized the persistence, service, and protection that are the hallmarks of his chosen profession of law enforcement. After graduating from Meridian High School, he joined the Meridian Police Department. Later, his career included positions at Meridian Community College, Mississippi State University, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Meridian Public School District.

Away from work, Eddie enjoyed solving problems, expressing his faith and love for others through action. He was always ready to run errands or implement a well-engineered household repair for relatives and friends alike. He was a voracious reader, an amateur stargazer, and a friend to animals in need like his beloved dog, Jack. Those who knew him well will also remember Eddie as a meticulous baker. He took his grandmother’s cinnamon roll recipe through 28 separate revisions until he created the most delectable rolls anyone had ever tasted.

Eddie was a lifelong parishioner of St. Patrick Catholic Church, and a fourth-degree member of the Meridian assembly of the Knights of Columbus.

His parents were the late John Ausley and Della Mae Gardner Thomas. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Connie White Thomas, and his brother, Steve Thomas, sister-in-law Theresa Bounds and brother-in-law Hailey Snowden.

Survivors include his wife, Kay Culpepper Thomas, and son Ryan and daughter-in-law Ashley Bartlett Thomas of Huntsville, AL; Brooklyn Baughman, Donna Thomas, John and Brenda Thomas, James and Gerrie Thomas, George and Ann Culpepper, all of Meridian; Mary Thomas Snowden of Decatur; Rusty and Donna White of Jackson; Cullen Clark and Mary Kay Culpepper of Birmingham, AL; and many loving aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews.

Friends who wish to do so may make contributions in Eddie’s memory to his favorite charities: St. Patrick Catholic School (CLICK HERE),

Anderson Regional Cancer Center Cancer Benevolence Fund (CLICK HERE), the

Meridian Community College Foundation (CLICK HERE),

and the East Mississippi Animal Rescue (CLICK HERE), where Eddie first met Jack.