Obituary of Jimmie Dan Thomason

Known as D.O.D. (Dear Old Dad), Pop, Granddad, Old Man, and Popsicle, Jimmie (Jim) Dan Thomason earned many terms of endearment throughout his lifetime. A kind, reliable, accomplished, devout man with a quiet sense of humor, his greatest joy in life was clearly found in his role as a devoted husband and family man. 

Jim, younger sibling to brothers Bill & Jay Thomason, was born on May 30, 1943, in Snyder, Texas, to Jim Thomason and Irene Thomason. At age four, young Jimmie moved to Hobbs, New Mexico, with his mother and stepfather, Ed Hazelwood. He grew up there helping on the family farm where they tended hundreds of chickens, admittedly never his favorite job. 

During his school years he developed a love and talent for music, playing the trumpet in the junior and senior high school bands. He taught himself to play the guitar and had a wonderful singing voice that served him well in drama club plays and musicals. Jim was a member of the 1961 graduating class of Hobbs High School. After that, he attended the University of New Mexico, and was initiated into Pi Kappa Alpha Fraterinity.

In April of 1963, Jim secured a job in Hobbs working in an oil field and reporting directly to Douglas Menefee, who happened to have a beautiful daughter named Sharla. Sharla and Jim, who shared a May 30th birthdate, immediately fell for each other, and started dating, despite protective parents’ concerns that they were too young to be in a serious relationship. 

Taking matters into their own hands, Jimmie and Sharla, just 20 and 17 years of age, eloped and married on August 14, 1963, in Juarez, Mexico. To keep the peace with their surprised parents, the couple reconfirmed their vows on August 21 of that same year with a church ceremony in Hobbs. From that time forward, the devoted couple continued to write a beautiful personal fairytale that would span six decades. They shared a birthday and a lifetime of love.

Jim and Sharla welcomed their first son, James (Jim), in July of 1964 and another son, Jeremy, in July of 1969. Jim accepted a job with IMCO Drilling Mud on April 1, 1966—a career that required the family to relocate numerous times throughout Louisianna, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. But no matter the demands of a busy career, Jim’s focus was always on his family. 

Son Jim recalls when he was young his dad had a strict rule about reserving Saturday mornings for breakfast and cartoon time together. The duo would get up early, grab bowls of cereal and laugh at the antics of the Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, and Bugs Bunny. Young Jim also loved tagging along with his dad to the office and to drilling sites. Fast forward later in life and “the Jims,” in a bit of a role reversal, once again found great companionship on ride-alongs to check on architect Jim’s construction jobs. This father-son tradition created lasting memories.

Jeremy recalls going to the office with his dad on weekends and thinking he wanted to be just like his dedicated, well-respected father when he grew up. Later, when Jim and Sharla spent a few years living in Kuala Lumpur near Jeremy and his family, his best memories are of simply hanging out with his dad, especially for Friday lunches enjoying burgers and watching old episodes of M*A*S*H. For Jeremy, that time together summed up his father’s easygoing, genuine nature. 

Jim loved to explore the world.  Through work and leisure travel he visited six continents, often managing to incorporate a game of golf wherever his path took him. He and Sharla shared many amazing international adventures together, often following son Jeremy’s international career path so they could remain close to grandson, Jean Yves, and granddaughter, Sara.  Just as he had been to his sons, Jim was a best buddy and constant source of support and love in his grandchildren’s lives. 

Jimmie Dan Thomason passed after a short illness on January 23, 2024, with his wife of 60 years and oldest son by his side.
Along with Sharla, Jim is remembered by his sons Jim Thomason (Nancy Gallimore), Jeremy Thomason (Huey Chin Lim); grandchildren Jean Yves and Sara Thomason, and Katrina and Charlotte Liaw; sister-in-law, Sherry Menefee; sisters Shirley Hazlewood Welty and Edna Hazelwood Buffington; and many beloved family members and friends. 

2 Timothy 4:7  "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

Memorials in Jim’s honor may be made to Jenks Methodist Church (www.jenksmethodist.org) or Tunnel to Towers Foundation (www.t2t.org).

Ninde Brookside | 948-742-5556