Dale Stephen Thomas, 94, of Westport, passed away on Saturday, June 22, 2013 at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford. Born in Diamond, OH, son of the late Charles H. and Alta J. (Hollister) Thomas, he resided in Westport for many years.
In 1940, Dale left the farm where he was raised to serve in World War II, first as a private and until discharge as a First Lieutenant in 1946. He met Nancy Virginia Bosworth of Boston at the USO, and they married in 1942 at Old South Church in Boston. He obtained advanced degrees in food technology from UMass Amherst on the GI bill, and worked as a food research and product development manager for Standard Brands, General Mills, Friends Baked Beans, and Walter Baker Chocolate. Dale retired to farm in Westport, and among other crops, sold rhubarb and raspberries to Lee's Market.
Dale will be remembered for his active participation in town politics, the Board of Health, the Conservation Commission, the Westport River Watershed Alliance, and the Westport Senior Center. Every week for ten years he, Arnold Tripp and June Johnston monitored water quality in fifteen Westport locations -collecting, plating, reading and graphing data for long-term analysis- until the New Bedford Health Department took over. He served as President of the Board of the WRWA from 1985-1988, and again in 1994, when he was honored with the volunteer of the year award for his water quality monitoring project. Dale danced for many years with the Country Dance Society in Boston and here, bringing English and Irish country dancing and music to local venues. Prior to his death, he was writing his memoirs, beginning with the immigration of his clan from Wales and ending with the joy of his life in Westport.
Dale is survived by his daughter Cynthia (Thomas) Bauman and Frances Andruszkiewicz of Westport and Boston; his son Jefferson Thomas and Barbara Ducharme of Nahant, his grandson David Bauman and Kimberly Paige of Maine; his beloved sister Margaret (Thomas) Smith of Ravenna, Ohio, as well as her daughter Sherill Buitrago and many nieces and nephews. Dale was the brother of the late Harold, Kenneth, Eldon, Maxine, Wayne and Robert Thomas.
A memorial graveside service to which relatives and friends are invited will be Saturday, July 13, 2013 at Beech Grove Cemetery, Westport at 10 A.M.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Westport River Watershed Alliance, 1151 Main Rd., Westport, MA 02790 or Westport Police RUOK Program: Gift Account, 818 Main Rd., Westport, MA 02790.