Farewell to a Beloved Child of Jerome

Theodore Thomason, our beloved dad, husband, and papa, passed away on the evening of September 24, surrounded by the many friends and family who adored him. He was 72. Ted was a lover. Of food, new places, the outdoors. Of people—namely his children (his beautiful daughters Teresa, Haley, Camelle, Shannon, and his son James), his grandchildren (Alexzander, Ryleigh, Karson, Declan, Aurora, Mikey, Asa, and Thorin), his siblings (Kathy, Rick, Doug, Rod, and Bill), his friends (Roy, Tom, Ken, Betsy, Gary, Donna, Matt, Rob, all of his rafting friends, the staff at Home Depot, and many, many others), and his wife, the love of his life, Cindy--or as Ted knew her, "honey."

Ted loved life. His long and robust story began on February 27, 1954, in Jerome, to parents Patty and Earl Thomason, with whom he maintained a tender and loving relationship for the rest of their lives.

As a child he was known for working hard and brawling. The former of those traits would define his life. The latter, as anyone who knew the gentle and magnanimous man he became, decidedly would not. His siblings fought, as siblings do. But as his brother Rod remembered, they came together when it mattered. They were family. After graduating from Jerome High School, Ted briefly left Idaho to attend college and play football in Nebraska. But ever the dutiful son, he returned home before graduating to help his family farm and herd sheep.

What followed were defining years. He began a career at Amalgamated Sugar that spanned three decades, met and married his first wife Marleen, and, most importantly, became a father to his daughters Haley and Teresa. His heart, already large, became full. Those years were the summer of Ted's life. Of all his many roles, being a dad was his favorite. He always let his girls tag along, no matter the occasion, even where they had no business being. He loved their company. He was active in all aspects of their lives, as coach of their teams, as chaperone of their church trips. He never missed a game or event. “He’s the one who always takes care of you,” Teresa recalled. “That’s the dad he was.”

In photographs that still adorn the walls of his home, he is with his girls. In each, he smiles in the timeless, incandescent way of a truly contented man.

On winter weekends he packed the car full and treated his family to ski trips in the fresh alpine air. During warmer seasons, he spent time on the golf course or rafting, which became his sanctuary and one of his life's enduring joys. He had a generous, open spirit on the water and was always the first to volunteer to take anyone out for a day on the rapids, sharing his respect for and knowledge and mastery of the current with family, friends, and newcomers--including his closest friend Roy, whom Ted introduced to rafting--alike. He was notorious for treating his passengers to a small selection of his favorite artists and tunes: Meatloaf, Bonnie Tyler, and Queen among them.

Ted was also a lover and consummate trainer of dogs, another passion he carried all his life. His many canine companions include Ace, Sheba, Belle, and his last, Maggie, who survived him. By 2009, Ted had already lived what by any measure was a full life. But he was far from done. He developed a crush on a co-worker at the sugar factory and braved his nerves to ask her on a date. Thus began his life’s great romance. Cindy and her family were still reeling from the loss of her first husband to cancer. Ted was the angel God sent in their time of need. “He showed me what it feels like to be wanted and loved,” Cindy reflected. “He took care of me.” He was a steady, calming, loving presence in the family’s lives. His daughter Shannon described Ted and Cindy’s May 27, 2016 wedding day as her happiest memory. A day of love and healing. Ted became the devoted father to Cindy’s children that their late father, taken too young from the world, was unable to be. He was whatever they needed him to be--a helping hand, a gentle ear, a warm hug, even a shelter. He developed, through years of morning walks, family camping trips, and his priestly listening ear and sage advice, a particularly close bond with his daughter Camelle. “He drove me to college,” she said. "We laughed and danced together. He was my dad.”

Ted also became “papa”—grandfather to Camelle’s, Shannon's, and James's children. He adored them all. During their nearly twenty years together, Ted and Cindy had many “adventures." They were inseparable. They travelled across the country. To Arkansas, to visit Ted’s family’s ancestral homestead; all over the west coast delivering trailers for work; to Texas, to Arizona, and everywhere in between; to the North Pole in Alaska; and to every nook and cranny of Idaho, the state they both loved and called home. They had many more adventures planned, now postponed for the next life, when they’re together again. Ted’s final days were, fittingly, filled with visitors. Myriad friends and family whose lives he blessed travelled, many from far away, to pay their tributes. Such is how great men go. In his final moments, his wife and daughters held him and each other around his bed. Cindy spoke to him through the sounds of muffled sobs and Christian hymns, calling him home. “It’s okay, honey. We’re all here with you. You can let go now. You are my best friend. I love you.”

Ted nodded and, moments later in the early evening, took his final breath. The moon was almost supernaturally bright, casting upon the Magic Valley the same heavenly glow that Ted had, for all his life.

Ted's family has planned a celebration of his life, which will take place on May 26-27, 2027 (althoigh the family invites you to stay longer), at the Salmon River (please contact Ted's daughter Camelle, at familyaccount2020@yahoo.com) for more details.