Mr. J. Miles Thomas

J. Miles Thomas passed away on October 6, 2019, and is now in the presence of the Lord.  Miles was born October 24, 1930, in Freeport, FL to the late Reverend A. G. Thomas and Katie Spikes Thomas.  He spent most of his early years in the Wiregrass area of Alabama, including Geneva, Hartford, Rehobeth, and Black.  Miles graduated from Rehobeth High School in 1948 and entered the United States Army in 1950 and served in the 131st Tank division, serving 2 years. Just days after his discharge in 1952, he entered pharmacy school at Auburn Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) and graduated in 1955.  He also married the love of his life, Margaret Ring Thomas, that year.  After residing in Eufaula for 15 months, Miles returned to Opelika and established Thomas Pharmacy in 1957.  While owning his business, he was very active in the profession of pharmacy in Alabama, to include a period as president of the Alabama State Board of Pharmacy, president of the Alabama Pharmacy Association, served on the Advisory Board of Auburn University School of Pharmacy.  One of his proudest moments was in 2016, when Miles was honored with the induction into the Alabama Pharmacy Hall of Fame.  He operated Thomas Pharmacy for 40 years, retiring from the pharmacy profession in 1997.  Thomas Pharmacy is still proudly operating today under the same name.

Miles was also very active in the community, serving the city of Opelika in several capacities.  He was a member of the Opelika Parks and Recreation Board from 1963 to 1981.  He was very interested in recreation for the children of Opelika.  He was elected to the Opelika City Commission in 1981, and served Opelika with dignity until his retirement in 1997, including roles of Finance commissioner for many years, and Mayor of Opelika in 1983-84.

He loved his family, his church, and the city of Opelika with all his heart. He enjoyed fishing and golf as his primary hobbies.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Margaret (Marge) Ring Thomas. He is survived by his children, Kathy Thomas Richards (Floyd), Joseph Miles Thomas Jr., Thomas Addis Thomas and Kenneth James Thomas (Rhonda), Charleen Thomas, and his beloved and only granddaughter, Blair Thomas DeRuiter (Alex).  Miles had 7 brothers and 2 sisters. He is survived by William Adger Thomas, Reverend John Paul Thomas and J. Sherwood Thomas. His siblings that preceded him in death are: Raimon Gordon Thomas, Mogrete (Margaret) Thomas, Ralph Thomas, James Addis Thomas, JoAnn Thomas McDaniel and Michael A. Thomas, Sr.

Funeral services will be at 11:00am Thursday, October 10, 2019 at Trinity United Methodist Church.  Visitation will be at Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home Wednesday, October 9, 2019 beginning at 5:00pm until 7:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to: Feeding God’s Children, Trinity United Methodist Church, 800 2nd Avenue, Opelika, AL  36801.

Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home and Crematory directing.

www.jeffcoattrant.com