Doris C. Thomas, who passed away in May, was honored with a resolution of memoriam from the Crenshaw County Commission for her work and dedication to the community and her family. 

Thomas’s friends and family gathered in the Campground Methodist Church building, where her children, Andy Thomas, Angie Morgan and Stewart Thomas accepted the award on her behalf. 

“It was just heartwarming for us, that they wanted to do that for her after her death,” Morgan said. “It meant the world to us for that honor.”

The resolution, awarded July 8, describes Thomas’s work for the county, including her career under former County Probate Judge Harbin in 1976, as a bookkeeper in 1996 and finally as County Administrator in 2002. Thomas retired from her position as Administrator in 2007.

This resolution was signed by all five current county commissioners on June 24. 

“The main thing that stands out to everyone, not just us, is how soft spoken she was, but how firm she was in her beliefs,” Morgan said. “Everything she did, it had to be done the correct way; there was only one way to do anything and it was the correct way. Being an administrator of the county, that’s a huge responsibility, and she took pride in that. 

Additionally, the resolution notes Thomas’s dedication to family and her church. 

During the last years of her life, Thomas was confined to to bed, unable to attend church as she used to. However, Campground Methodist Church pastor Dunford Cole visited Thomas to give her communion. 

“Over the course of those three years, I actually became her pastor.” Cole said. “She would tell me about some of her work experience and things that she would do, but the main thing she would talk about is her faith in God and her family. She loved her family, she loved her grandkids, they were the apple of her eye.” 

Cole notes that Thomas fully served her position in the County Commission, serving the community with a gentle spirit and a servant’s heart. 

Now, after her passing, Cole notes that he might have learned more from her than she learned from him. 

“Crenshaw County was fortunate to have someone with that type of heart to serve the people here, and I don’t know if we’ll ever have that again,” Cole said. “I pray we do.”