Mr. Simuel Thomas

On April 20, 1949, in West Helena, Arkansas, the late Izetta Anderson and Simuel Thomas Jr. welcomed their
precious baby boy. They named their gift from God: Simuel Thomas III. He was the eldest of seven children.
Simuel attended and graduated from Eliza Miller Senior High School where he was quite popular and the “star” of
the basketball team. He was a major contributor in winning the basketball state championship of 1967 because of
his sharp shooting skills.
Mr. Simuel Thomas believed in education as well as doing for others. His caring heart and compassion for others
led him to obtain his Bachelor’s degree in Community Recreation/ Sociology from the University of Arkansas at
Pine Bluff, class of 1972. After graduating from UAPB, he moved to Chicago, Illinois with his Master’s degree in
Urban Studies, class of 1983.
Simuel was later offered a job in Texas with Harris County and began his career working in the juvenile justice
system. He worked as a Juvenile Probation Officer from February 1983 – February 2011. Early on, it became clear
that many of the youth cycling through the system weren’t hardened criminals – they were kids failed by their
environments, struggling with trauma, broken homes, poverty, and a lack of guidance. Simuel took not of how often
the same faces returned, and how few resources were truly focused on rehabilitation. He organized Step One Drug
Prevention Program to help further rehabilitate and lessen re-entry into the juvenile justice system.
Determined to make a difference Simuel went beyond his job description. Eventually, those informal conversations
and check-ins developed into mentoring relationships.
He had the ability to make anyone in his presence feel special and connected. He created fun, special memories
with his granddaughter Kaitlyn and frequent phone calls with Kayla. Simuel also shared gardening tips with great-
grandson Jr. He was consistently investing in the youth and creating spaces for them to grow beyond their dreams.
After retiring from a long and demanding career in the criminal justice system. Simuel found himself standing at a
new threshold in life – one that wasn’t lined with fluorescent lights and paperwork, but sunlight and soil. For
decades, he had navigated a work full of structure, conflict, and regulation. The badge came off, the briefcases were
set down, and the world slowed just enough for him to breathe. Retirement wasn’t an end for him – it was the
beginning of something softer, something rooted. Simuel didn’t retire to rest, he retired to grow.
Simuel did two things that redefined his next chapter; he got married, and he and his partner bought the home they
had always dreamed of. His backyard transformed. Raised beds multiplied, trellises went up, cabbage and okra
shared space with peppers and sweet corn. The same man who had once strategized treatment plans for juvenile
now planted his own veggies. He enjoyed having family over, spending time with his children and grandchildren,
and providing them with valuable information to make life greater for the next generation.
On May 15, 2025, God called his servant from labor to rest. He was preceded in death by his parents Izetta
Anderson, Simuel Thomas Jr. and sister, Cassandra Thomas.
He leaves to cherish precious memories his loving and devoted wife, Mrs. Barbara Thomas: Children: Simuel
Sullivan (Karla), LaRhonda Sullivan, Deoir Thomas, and Dijon Thomas: Bonus Sons: Jerry Turner and Jonathon
Tarver; Surviving siblings: Jeanette Mitchell, Annette Thomas, Rosetta Parks, Constance Thomas (Dorsey Sr.), and
Cynthia Williams (Troy) and an myriad of grandchildren, nieces, nephews and extended family and friends whom he
loved and cherish dearly.

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