To request a copy of this photo for your own personal use, please contact our state coordinator. If you are not a family member or the original photographer — please refrain from copying or distributing this photo to other websites.
Thank you for visiting the Arkansas Gravestone Photo Project. On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Arkansas, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.
Submitted: 3/14/18 • Approved: 3/14/18 • Last Updated: 3/17/18 • R1213794-G1213794-S3
Verna Mae
Oct 9, 1911 - Apr 26, 1984
Harry Benjamin (Cenotaph)
Feb 13, 1905 - Apr 4, 1990
Non-Cemetery Burial
Harry Benjamin Thomas, Sr. was born February 13, 1905 in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). He was the second child and first son of Dover Preston Thomas and Amanda Alice Lewis Thomas.
Ben married Verna Mae Willoughby on April 20, 1930. Ben and Verna had four children:
Verna V. Thomas Cross (1933 - 1999)
Harry Benjamin Thomas, Jr. (1936 - 2003)
Lu Alice Thomas Evans (1943 - 2002)
James Willoughby Thomas (1946 - 1946)
Ben loved to read. His letters were always entertaining, and he wrote a beautiful hand.
The Cross in my Pocket
I carry a cross in my pocket,
A simple reminder to me
That I am a Christian,
No matter where I may be.
This little cross isn’t magic,
Nor is it a good luck charm.
It isn’t meant to protect me
From every physical harm.
It’s not for identification
For all the world to see.
It’s simply an understanding
Between my Savior and me.
When I put my hand in my pocket
To bring out a coin or a key,
The cross is there to remind me
Of the price He paid for me.
It reminds me too, to be thankful
For my blessings every day,
And to strive to serve Him better
In all that I do or say.
It’s also a daily reminder
Of the peace and comfort I share
With all who know my Master
And give themselves to His care.
So, I carry a cross in my pocket
Reminding none but me
That Jesus Christ is Lord of my life,
If only I’ll let Him be.
– – – written by Vera Mae Thomas
Photo courtesy of ronald conrad;
ronaldconrad@att.net
Contributed on 3/14/18 by hawkinsdonna48
Email This Contributor
Suggest a Correction
Record #: 1213794