Donald Delin Thomason

Donald Delin Thomason, 89, of the Collinsville and Oologah area, passed away Saturday, August 8, 2020 in Oologah. He was born July 22, 1931 in Oologah to Francis Leard Thomason and the former Maggie Akins. He owned and operated Thomason Heating and Air until retiring in 2018.

In July, 2001 The Collinsville News interviewed Don at the age of eighty years young, when Don Thomason marked his 52 ^nd year in business. This is that article that appeared in the paper:

Long-time Collinsville businessman Don Thomason will celebrate his 80 ^th birthday, July 22 and is still going strong.

Don operates his air conditioning and heating business out on north 19 ^th street and is enjoying his life with wife Jean, his two children, six grandchildren and soon to be 10 great-grandchildren.

Thomason Heating and Air Conditioning business marks its 52 ^nd year as a part of Collinsville community but you’d almost get the impression that Don enjoys a couple of other past times as much, if not more, and that’s singing with three different gospel quartets and restoring old cars.

“I’ve truly been blessed. My health is good,” he said. Apparently, he has no intention of slowing down soon.

Born west of Oologah on a farm, Don and his seven siblings grew up when farming was tough and sometimes things were a little slim.

“Hard work has never hurt anyone,” Don will tell you and while they didn’t have much, “we always ate.”

Farming with a team of horses, the family milked and sold cream and when time came, they killed four or five hogs and “ate pork all year long,” Don said.

The 1949 graduate of Oologah High School began his working career parking cars at the Tulsa Auto Hotel after his high school days ended. “Worked there about a year parking about 500 cars a day,” Don said, adding he and some friends got to know some of the people whose cars they parked, some were from an oil company in Tulsa called Service Pipeline Co. a division of Standard Oil of Indiana at 6 ^th and Cincinnati.

On October 10, 1950, Don went to work for them in their building as a janitor. Six months later he went into building maintenance obtaining his third class license to work on boilers. That lasted five years before he obtained his first class license and when the company said it would pay 85 percent of any tuition for schooling, Don went to air conditioning school.

All the time maintaining his job with the oil company, Don, wife Carlos, deceased in 1997, and children moved to Collinsville in 1959 where he started doing domestic air conditioning work part time until he went full time in 1970 taking his severance pay from 20 years with Standard Oil and building his current building with $7,500. With four children, two of which were handicapped and both now deceased, Don describes it as being a little “scary out on my own knowing if I didn’t work, we didn’t eat.” But God truly blessed and now 52 years later, he and second wife Jean still drive a bus for his home church of Shelter Free Will Baptist church in Collinsville and they’re constantly going somewhere to minister to other churches with Don singing bass and baritone with three different groups: Gospel Harmony Trio, Boundless Love Quartet and The Good News Quartet.

There’s also the Old Timer’s Quartet that headquarters out of Shelter FWB that Don is very pleased to be a part of after getting his start singing in 1978 because of his father’s legacy, Leard Thomason started teaching “singing School” like ones he had attended with the famous Albert E. Brumley. His parents had moved to this area in 1925.

Also proud of his association with the Collinsville Masonic Lodge, Don received a 50 year pin from that organization as well as one from the Tulsa Consistery.

Now with grandson Jason Dean Wells by his side for the past 15 years, Don says he’ll probably turn the business over to Jason someday but until then, Don is still blessing people with his singing and through his business. He left the interview to go assist a lady whose air conditioner had broken down and she couldn’t afford to fix it. Don was on his way to help.

“We can’t do that for everyone,” he said, “but we do what we can.”

Those that know Don are not surprised.

“As a young boy growing up, I remember Don taking care of our family’s air conditioning equipment and he has always been a first-class, caring gentleman and a pillar in our community,” Collinsville Mayor Stan Sallee said this week adding his congratulations on Don’s birthday and many years in business. “I know he’s a highly respected businessman and a person we all looked up to,” Sallee added.

David Bilby, pastor of Collinsville’s Shelter Free Will Baptist Church, says of Don that is doesn’t surprise him one bit that he’s helping someone. “He’s a very generous man and is always willing to help out,” Bilby stated. “I’m a better person just for knowing Don. He’s my deacon in the church and a very dear friend,” Bilby said.

Visitation will be Noon to 8:00 pm, Thursday, August 13, 2020 at the Collinsville Dolton Funeral Home. The family will be present 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Funeral Services will be 10:00 a.m., August 14, 2020 at the First Baptist Church in Collinsville with Rev. Ronnie Thompson and Rev. Rick Brinkley officiating. Interment will follow at the Wann Cemetery in Oologah.

He is survived by his wife: Jean Thomason of the home. 2 children: Jackie Delin Thomason and his wife Shirley of Skiatook and Karen Anne Wells of Owasso. 6 grandchildren: Brandon Thomason, Jason Wells, J.C. Price, Corbi Goddard, Mary Ann Bell and Monica Fisher. 12 great-grandchildren: Page Suter, Morgan Thomason, Camden Thomason, Camaron Wells, Ella Wells, Colin Goddard, Chelsea Goddard, Karleigh Bell, Keitian Bell, Kooper Bell, Sam Fisher and Jet Fisher.

Preceded in death by his first wife of 48 years, Carlos Frances (Ross) Thomason. 2 children: Donna Carol Thomason and Linda Lavada Thomason.

Funeral Services are under the direction of Collinsville Dolton Funeral Home.