Shirley Parker Thomas' Obituary
On February 15, 2026, Shirley Parker Thomas, age 90, reunited with her husband, Lt. Col. Stover Blair Thomas, who preceded her in death in 2021. Shirley passed following a short illness at home. Shirley was born to Harry & Daisy Parker on March 16, 1935 in Wichita Falls, Texas. At 14 she began working various jobs in Houston. After graduating from Pasadena High School, she met her future husband one afternoon when he and another Air Force second lieutenant came into the drug store she was working at. He approached her asking for change in order to call a date, and according to her, her heart skipped a beat. His must have too, because he returned everyday for a week before she agreed to let him drive her home. They were married in 1954, and began a vagabond life style traveling from one Air Force Base to another. In 1956, she gave birth to Deborah Lea Thomas, and two years later to Steven Parker Thomas. For the next 14 years this nuclear family traversed to bases in Florida, Kansas, Texas, Philippines, and North Carolina. In 1974 the family moved to Richardson, Texas. While the kids attended high school, Shirley began a lucrative career in retail. Once the kids graduated and left for college, Shirley and Blair celebrated with the installation of a backyard pool. In 1988, both Shirley and Blair retired once again and returned to their roots traveling the USA and Canada going to destinations they hadn’t seen yet. Curiously all those locations required a stay at the Stardust in Las Vegas.
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