07/13/2026
Russell Thomas, Jr., 91, of Americus, Georgia, died on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at Magnolia Manor Nursing Home.
Mr. Thomas was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 22, 1934, to Dr. Russell Thomas and Margaret Camp Thomas. In 1939, the family returned to Dr. Thomas's hometown of Americus, where Russell spent the remainder of his life. He earned a degree in Agricultural Management from Auburn University, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. After college, he completed his military service as a medic in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Throughout his career, Mr. Thomas was active in forestry and business. With his family, he owned Thomas Farms, Inc. As he moved from farming into timber, he started or co-owned Americus Creosote Company, T&T Logging, and Georgia Forest Products.
At Thomas Farms, forestry was more than a business. Mr. Thomas believed productive timber management and wildlife conservation should go hand in hand. He protected the farm’s native stands of longleaf pine before restoration of the longleaf pine ecosystem became widely recognized. His stewardship of Thomas Farms reflected commitment to responsible forestry, wildlife conservation, and protecting the beauty of the land. Throughout his life and in its most difficult times, Russell found solace and peace driving the backroads of Thomas Farms.
Mr. Thomas was first elected Mayor of Americus in November 1979 and served from 1980 to 1988. He was elected again in 1993 and served a second term from 1994 to 2001. During his fifteen years as mayor, he worked to improve the quality of life for all Americus citizens.
During his first term, he worked with members of the City Council to address substandard housing and expand housing opportunities in Americus. Later, he worked with Millard Fuller and Habitat for Humanity on the Sumter County Initiative, a campaign to eliminate substandard housing in Americus and Sumter County.
He may be best remembered for leading the multi-year effort to restore the historic Windsor Hotel, returning it to prominence as the centerpiece of downtown Americus. When many people believed the Windsor Hotel could not be saved, Mr. Thomas did not give up, leading years of work that restored a Georgia landmark.
He was also instrumental in restoring the Rylander Theatre and helping establish it as the center of the performing arts in Americus. In 2000, Americus became one of the first ten cities designated as a Georgia City of Excellence. In 2016, he received the Lifetime Friend of the Rylander Award.
In 1994, in recognition of his public service, the City of Americus named its public safety building the Russell Thomas, Jr. Public Safety Building.
In 1985, Mr. Thomas was elected to the Citizens Bank of Americus Board of Directors. He served on the board until 2025 and served as Chairman of the Board from 1985 to 1999. In 1999, Citizens Bank of Americus was rated the number one community bank in Georgia and the twenty-sixth-ranked community bank in the United States by the Journal of the American Bankers Association .
Mr. Thomas devoted many years to public education and community service. Mr. Thomas graduated from Americus High School in 1952, and he served on the Americus Board of Education from 1972 to 1980. Beginning in the 1980s, Mr. Thomas served on the board of directors of The Charles L. Mix Memorial Fund, including more than 20 years as board chairman.
Additionally, he served on the South Georgia Technical College Foundation Board of Trustees, was chairman of the Sumter County Board of Tax Assessors from 1976 to 1980, and served on the governing board of the Rosalynn Carter Institute at Georgia Southwestern State University.
Mr. Thomas remained active in the community long past the time most people retire. In his office at the back of the Americus Hardware Store (now The Maze and another of his renovations), you often found him talking politics and business. Friends stopped by his office regularly to share news and opinions. He loved spending time with his dog Barnabas, who was always with him at home, the office, or riding the farm’s dirt roads in Russell’s old Tahoe. Russell was a lifelong reader and student of history. In his later years, he enjoyed bird watching and raising tomatoes in his backyard. In a good tomato season, it was a race between Russell and the backyard animals to see who could get to the ripe tomatoes first.
Mr. Thomas married Mary Anne Warnell Thomas in 1956, and together they had five children. In 1976, he married Andrea Patterson Thomas, to whom he was married until her death in 2021.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Andrea Patterson Thomas; his son, Russell Thomas III; his parents, Dr. Russell Thomas and Margaret Camp Thomas; his sister, Margaret T. Sullivan; and brothers Frank Gordon Thomas and John Laurence Thomas.
He is survived by his children, Mary Frances Thomas (Mimi), Anne Camp Thomas, Beth Thomas Cheek (James), and John Braxton Thomas; his daughter-in-law, Angie Ballard Thomas; his grandchildren, Emily Anne Strickland (Michael), Sara Beth Wolcott (Derek), Mary Frances Thomas (John), James Thomas Cheek (Hannah), Margaret L. Clark (Judson), Anne Chaplin Gamache (Noah), Mestewal Thomas, and Esubalow Thomas; and his great-grandchildren, Samantha, Madison, Thomas, Barrett, Titus, Jethro, Evey, Nora, Roland, and Topher. He is also survived by his loving nieces, nephews, cousins, stepchildren, extended family, and friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to Friends of the Rylander, the Russell Thomas and Margaret Camp Biology Chair at Georgia Southwestern State University, the League of the Good Samaritan, or your favorite charity.
To view service times & share condolences, please visit:
https://www.greghancockfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/russell-thomas-jr
