Funeral Arrangements Set for Identified Missing Veteran

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(Haller Funeral Home) – A World War II Army Veteran’s remains which were identified going missing from the Chillicothe V.A. Medical Center in 1972, will be laid to rest in an April 15th ceremony, according to a obituary from Haller Funeral Home.

Ward Raymond Thomas, age 53, formerly of Newark, passed away on May 6, 1972, adjacent to the Chillicothe Veterans Administration Hospital, where he had been receiving medical treatment. Missing for 24 years (declared dead on May 6, 1979) and recovered but unidentified for an additional 27 years, Ward’s remains were identified in November 2023 by the DNA Doe Project and investigative genetic genealogy.

Ward was born on September 5, 1918, in Dresden, Ohio, to Ernest and Zelma Thomas. The fifth of twelve children, Ward completed the 8th grade during the Great Depression.

He worked in a service station before joining the Army on December 15, 1942. Ward was assigned to the 306th Field Artillery Battalion, 77th Infantry Division, and was in combat in the Pacific Theater of Operations. He received the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in the Philippines on January 15, 1945, and was honorably discharged after World War II ended.

He married Leota (Roberts) Farnsworth in Newark on August 3, 1948, and for four years, her disabled adult son, Wayne, lived with them. They resided in Newark and Heath while Ward worked in construction and then for almost 20 years at Rockwell-Standard (later Rockwell International). Through Leota, Ward was affiliated with the Heath Christian Union Church.

Ward’s widow and stepson passed away in 2001 and 2021, respectively. In addition to his parents, all his siblings are now deceased: Sisters Esther Dickerson, Mary (died in infancy), Leona Denman, Fern Martin, Eleanor Powers, Beaulah Brock, Bertha Rittenhouse, and Annabelle Weaver; and brothers Ralph, Carl, and Earl. He is survived by nieces and nephews and other distant family members who made his identification possible.

The public is invited to attend a military graveside service at 1pm on Monday, April 15, 2024 at the Veterans’ Columbarium in Greenlawn Cemetery, Chaplain Gregory Schmalfeldt, Chief of Chaplain Services at the Chillicothe Veterans Administration Medical Center officiating. The Ross County Veterans Honor Guard will render military funeral honors for Mr. Thomas at this time.

A special thank you goes out to the Chillicothe Veterans Administration Medical Center, the Chillicothe Correctional Institute, the Ross County Coroner’s Office, the Ross County Veterans Service Commission, the Ross County Veterans Honor Guard, the DNA Doe Project, and all of the other countless organizations, volunteers, and individuals who made it possible to lay Ward Raymond Thomas to rest.