Joseph Wilfred THOMAS

(b. 1 September 1932 , Fitchburg, Massachusetts, USA d. 26 January 2019 , Worcester, Massachusetts, USA )

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Joseph Wilfred THOMAS was born 1 September 1932 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, USA

Joseph Wilfred THOMAS was the child of Joseph Zabulin THOMAS and Marie Julie HALL and the grandchild of: (paternal) Louis Prudent THOMAS and Olive SAULNIER (SONIER) (maternal) Alexandre HALL and Marie Susanne BRIDEAU

Spouse(s)/Partner(s) and Child(ren):

Joseph Wilfred married Patricia Jacqueline POPPLE 30 September 1955 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, USA . The couple had (at least) 6 children.
Patricia Jacqueline POPPLE was born 16 September 1935 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. Patricia Jacqueline was the child of Gerald "David Ignatius" MOULTON "POPPLE" and Marion Laura VINCENT.

Joseph Wilfred THOMAS died 26 January 2019 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.
Details of the family tree of Joseph appear below.

Occupation

Joseph Wilfred THOMAS was a mason tender for The Grainger Company.

Family and Children of Joseph Wilfred THOMAS

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Joseph Wilfred THOMAS married

Patricia Jacqueline POPPLE-- Date: 30 September 1955 Place: Fitchburg, Massachusetts, USA
ancestry.com

Patricia Jacqueline POPPLE was the child of Gerald "David Ignatius" MOULTON "POPPLE" and Marion Laura VINCENT

Name: Patricia Jacqueline Popple
Marriage Year: 1955
Marriage Place: Fitchburg, Massachusetts, USA
Index Volume Number: 163
Reference Number: F63.M36 v.163

Name: Wilfred J Thomas
Marriage Year: 1955
Marriage Place: Gardner, Massachusetts, USA
Index Volume Number: 165
Reference Number: F63.M36 v.165

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, U.S., Marriage Index, 1901-1955 and 1966-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

Children of Joseph Wilfred THOMAS and Patricia Jacqueline POPPLE:

Debra Jane THOMAS (b.2 November 1956, Gardner, Massachusetts, USA d. 22 October 2022, Nogal, New Mexico, USA)
m. Mark David SHELDON 28 July 1978 in Orange, Massachusetts, USA

Living (b., Gardner, Massachusetts, USA d. , )

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Discovering the Ancestry of Joseph Wilfred THOMAS: Events, Photos & Historical Records

Postcards and Memories of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, USA

1932 Birth
Name: Joseph Wilfred Thomas
Birth Date: 1932
Birth Place: Fitchburg, Massachusetts, USA
Volume Number: 58
Page Number: 257
Index Volume Number: 133
Reference Number: F63.M362 v.133

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Birth Index, 1901-1960 and 1967-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.
Original data: Department of Public Health, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. Massachusetts Vital Records Index to Births [1916–1970]. Volumes 92–160, 162, 168, 175, 212– 213. Facsimile edition. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.
ancestry.com

Birth

Thanks to Deb Thomas Sheldon

1933 - Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes President of the United States

1933 - December 5 – The 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution is passed, repealing Prohibition

1934 - The metal beverage can is invented (American Can Co., United States)

1935 - The snowmobile was invented by Joseph Bombardier (Quebec, Canada)

1935 - August 14 – United States President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act into law

1938 - The ballpoint pen is invented (Lazlo Biro, Hungary)

1938-1944 - Sunscreen is invented (Franz Greiter, Switzerland and Benjamin Green, United States)

1938 - October 27 - Du Pont announces a name for its new synthetic yarn: nylon.

1940 Fitchburg, Worcester, Massachusetts
Name: Wilfred Thomas
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1940
Event Place: Ward 2, Fitchburg, Fitchburg City, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 6
Marital Status: Single
Race (Original): White
Race: White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Son
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Birthplace: Massachusetts
Birth Year (Estimated): 1934
Last Place of Residence: Same Place
District: 14-77
Family Number: 36
Sheet Number and Letter: 2B
Line Number: 73
Affiliate Publication Number: T627
Affiliate Film Number: 1647
Digital Folder Number: 005460919
Image Number: 00413
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head Joseph Z Thomas M 49 Canada
Wife Julia Thomas F 45 Canada
Son Frank J Thomas M 22 Canada
Son Lazare G Thomas M 21 Canada
Son Gilbert Thomas M 20 Canada
Son Alvin Thomas M 19 Massachusetts
Son Leo G Thomas M 17 Massachusetts
Son Arthur Thomas M 15 Massachusetts
Daughter Anna M...Read MORE...

1940 Census Ancestry (U.S.)
Exploring the U.S. Census: Your Guide to America’s Data

1940 - April - 1st electron microscope demonstrated (RCA), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1941 - December 8 - (the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor) United States declares war on Japan (WW2)

1944 - D-Day, which occurred on June 6, 1944, was a pivotal World War II operation where Allied forces launched a massive invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France. Known as Operation Overlord, it involved over 156,000 troops from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and other Allied nations. The operation aimed to liberate Western Europe from Nazi German control. The landings marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany, leading to the eventual Allied victory in Europe.

1945 - The atomic bomb is invented (J. Robert Oppenheimer, et al., United States)

The microwave oven was invented accidentally in 1945 by Percy Spencer, a Raytheon engineer. While testing a magnetron, he noticed microwaves melted a candy bar in his pocket. Experimenting further, he discovered microwaves could cook food quickly. Raytheon patented the process, and by 1947, they built the first commercial microwave oven, called the 'Radarange.' Initially used in commercial settings, microwaves becomes affordable for home use by the 1960s and 1970s, revolutionizing cooking.

1945 - Harry S. Truman becomes President of the United States

1945 - On September 2, 1945, World War II officially ended with the formal surrender of Japan. The surrender ceremony took place aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, where Japanese officials signed the Instrument of Surrender in the presence of Allied representatives, including General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz.

1948 - Velcro is invented (George de Mestral, Switzerland)

1950 - June 25 - Korean War begins when North Korean forces invade South Korea.

1953 - Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes President of the United States

1953 - On July 27, 1953, the Korean War ended with the signing of an armistice agreement at Panmunjom. This ceasefire halted the conflict between North Korea, supported by China and the Soviet Union, and South Korea, backed by United Nations forces primarily from the United States. The agreement established the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) near the 38th parallel, effectively maintaining the pre-war boundary and creating a buffer zone between the two Koreas.

1955 Marriage / Partner
Joseph Wilfred THOMAS and Patricia Jacqueline POPPLE 30 September 1955, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, USA

He was 23 years old.

1955 marriage

Thanks to Deb Thomas Sheldon

Joseph Wilfred THOMAS - Record of Marriage

Record of Marriage

Thanks to Deb Thomas Sheldon

1956 Birth of Child
Debra Jane THOMAS was born 2 November 1956, Gardner, Massachusetts, USA

Joseph Wilfred was 24 years old.

1961 - John F. Kennedy becomes President of the United States

1961 - Vietnam War officially begins with 900 military advisors landing in Saigon.

1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis was a tense 13-day standoff in October 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the U.S. coast. The crisis is considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war. It began when American spy planes discovered the missiles, leading to a U.S. naval blockade of Cuba and intense negotiations. The crisis ended when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba and secretly agreeing to remove American missiles from Turkey.

1963 - I Have a Dream Speech - Martin Luther King's Address at March on Washington August 28, 1963.

In 1963, on November 22, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza. The assassination shocked the nation and the world, leading to widespread mourning and a period of intense national introspection. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States shortly after Kennedy's death. The assassination sparked numerous conspiracy theories and investigations, with the Warren Commission ultimately concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination. Kennedy's death had a profound impact on American politics and society, marking the end of an era often referred to as 'Camelot.'

1968 - The ATM is invented (Don Wetzel, United States)

1969 - Richard M. Nixon becomes President of the United States

1969 - July 20 - Apollo 11 - Man lands on the moon

June 17, 1972 – August 9, 1974 - Watergate Scandal began with the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., in 1972. Members of President Richard Nixon's administration attempted to cover up their involvement. The scandal led to the discovery of multiple abuses of power by the Nixon administration, the resignation of President Nixon in 1974, and the indictment of several administration officials.

1973 - January 22 - Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 and Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179: The U.S. Supreme Court declares that the Constitution protects women’s right to terminate an early pregnancy, thus making abortion legal in the U.S.

1973 - March 29 - The last United States soldier leaves Vietnam

The cell phone was invented by Martin Cooper of Motorola. On April 3, 1973, he made the first handheld mobile phone call with the Motorola DynaTAC. This device weighed 2.5 pounds and was 10 inches long, offering 30 minutes of talk time and requiring 10 hours to charge. The first commercial cell phone was released in 1983, revolutionizing communication and leading to the modern smartphones we use today.

1974 - Gerald R. Ford becomes President of the United States after the resignation of Richard Nixon.

1977 - Jimmy Carter becomes President of the United States

1978 Marriage of Child
Debra Jane THOMAS married 28 July 1978, Orange, Massachusetts, USA to Mark David SHELDON

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State occurred on May 18, triggered by a 5.1 magnitude earthquake. It caused the largest landslide in recorded history, followed by a massive lateral blast. The eruption killed 57 people, destroyed 250 homes, and spread ash across the U.S.

1981 - Ronald Reagan becomes President of the United States

1981 - June 5 - First reported case of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)

1982 - The camcorder is invented (Sony Corp., Japan)

1983 - The laptop computer is invented (Radio Shack Corp., United States)

1986 - January 28 - Space Shuttle Challenger accident - The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when the shuttle broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members.

1989 - The World Wide Web is invented at CERN (Tim Berners-Lee, UK)

1989 - George H. W. Bush becomes President of the United States

1993 - William J. Clinton becomes President of the United States

2001 - George W. Bush becomes President of the United States

2001 - September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Coordinated terrorist attacks by the extremist group al-Qaeda on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, leading to significant changes in U.S. domestic and foreign policy, including the War on Terror.

2009 - Barack Obama becomes President of the United States

2017 - Donald J. Trump becomes President of the United States

Obituary
Westminster-Wilfred 'Bob' Thomas passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 26, 2019, surrounded by his family.

He was born in Fitchburg, a son of Joseph and Julie (Hall) Thomas, one of 14 children.

He leaves his wife of 63 years, Patricia. They proudly built a home in Westminster and remained in it for the past 57 years. Bob is survived by six children; Debra Sheldon and her husband Mark of Nogal, NM, Terri Adams and her husband Wayne of Ashburnham, Robert Thomas and his wife Rebecca of Charlton, David Thomas of Franklin, Susan Kemp and her husband Carl of Westminster and Eric Thomas and his wife Alexandra of Sterling; nine grandchildren, Thomas, Mark, Sandra, Robert, Michael, Matthew, Craig, Cory and Lindsey. He also leaves five great-grandchildren; Alex, Jaxon, Everly, William and Katherine. He will also be sadly missed by his beloved cat Snoopy.

Bob is survived by a sister, Theresa Moline and brothers, John Thomas and Henry 'Bidou' Thomas.

Bob grew...Read MORE...