Richard Coker Thomas II

Richard Coker Thomas II, 80 passed away on Monday, April 17, 2023. Graveside services will be held at Ashdown Cemetery, Ashdown, AR on May 24, 2023 at 1:00pm. No services are planned in the Kansas City area. Coker was born October 1, 1942 in Louisiana, Missouri to Richard Coker Thomas and Alphatique Cole Thomas and lived in Ashdown, AR until the age of 13. Upon the death of his father, the family moved to Texas. Coker graduated from Odessa Permian High School in 1960 and obtained a degree in Music from North Texas State University in 1970. In his early years, Coker made his living as a professional musician. He travelled Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana with the Jack Mellick Orchestra and taught private lessons to students of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school system. He was very proud that almost all his students made the all-state or all-region bands. Coker joined the US Marine Corps Reserves in 1962 and retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 04 (CW04) after 40 years. While serving in the Reserves, he spent twelve years on active duty, nine years of it in Kansas City, MO where he met and married Vicky (Scholz) Thomas and made Kansas City his home. While in Kansas City, he resumed his musical pursuits playing saxophone, clarinet, flute and piccolo for several big band jazz rehearsal bands and other small group bands. He was a member of the River City Jazz Orchestra and the Brian McCarty Polka Band whom he played with for several years. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Vicky Thomas of Parkville, MO, his three children, Heather Thomas of Austin, TX, Hilary Thomas-Oliver and husband Quentin of Maastricht Netherlands, Sean Thomas and wife Lisa of Bedford, TX; the children’s mother Pamela Cooper Thomas of Ft Worth, TX; two grandchildren, Paige and Tori Thomas of Bedford, TX; his sister Ruth Thomas and husband Terry Philp of Ben Wheeler, TX; cousins Jan (Cole) Craig and husband Bob of Gilbert, AZ and Rob Peebles and wife Loreta of Dallas, TX. The family would like to thank Ascend Hospice, Lee’s Summit, MO and the staff at Anthology of Burlington Creek who treated Coker with compassion and respect and made his last days comfortable.

Richard Coker Thomas II

October 1, 1942 - April 17, 2023