Jay B. Thomas

Hoosick/Petersburgh – Jay B. Thomas Jr. of Babcock Lake Road, Hoosick, NY, passed away peacefully on Monday evening, December 26, 2011, at the Center for Living and Rehabilitation in Bennington, VT, surrounded by his loving family.
A lifelong resident of the area, Jay was born in Petersburgh, NY, on October 15, 1936, to Jay and Adelaide L. Yerke Thomas, Sr. He was the husband of Linda Woodie Thomas, whom he married on November 27, 1987. He is pre-deceased by his parents, his first wife, the mother of his children, Mary D. North Thomas, his second wife, Marie LaCroix Thomas, his sister, Loretta Auernig, and his grandson, Zachary Elliott.
As a child, Jay attended the North Petersburgh Methodist Church and a two room schoolhouse in North Petersburgh, NY. He served in the United States Army Airborne Division in Germany and was honorably discharged. He worked at the Pownal Tannery in North Pownal, VT,  and W. J. Cowee, Co., Inc. in Berlin, NY, and retired in 2002 from Gilford Transportation of Boston, MA, where he performed railroad track maintenance. Jay was a member of Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWE). He enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening and visiting with family and friends.
Survivors, besides his wife, include his children, Joann M. Elliott of Eagle Bridge, NY, Jerry J. and wife Carol Thomas of Alaska, Mary D. and husband Walt Callahan of Hoosick Falls, NY, his sisters, Alice Boesse and Betty Jones of Petersburgh, his sister-in-law, Alice Towne, six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and several beloved nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were on Thursday, December 29, at 1 pm in the Thomas M. Barber Funeral Home, 66 Armsby Road, Petersburgh with Rev. Gaylord “Jake” Campbell officiating. Burial followed in the Meadowlawn Cemetery. Relatives and friends were invited for visitation at the funeral home on Thursday from 11 am until the start of the service.