Les Thomas

Community Service

Les was raised in the state of Washington. At an early age he joined the Army and served in the Korean War. Les is very proud of the fact that his son, Bryan, has served two years in the Army and just returned from Afghanistan and is based stateside.

Lester V. Thomas has served the community of Manteca as a volunteer extensively through the 30 years he has lived in the area. Les is always around to help, regardless of the project. He is one of the original members of Flags Over Manteca, and continues to coordinate the distribution and collection of over 2,400 flags. Flags are distributed more than six times a year.

The Manteca Chamber of Commerce has honored Les for his contributions to the City of Manteca by making him the Grand Marshal of the Christmas Parade.

Les is very involved with St. Anthony’s Church. He helps with various luncheon parties for senior citizens, and is always available to provide support in the way of transportation for all who need assistance to get to events and medical appointments in town or out of town. This courtesy is extended to members of the community, as well as members of his parish.

The Knights of Columbus has one of its greatest volunteers in Les. He is always ready to serve at various activities. One service he organized and continues to be active in is his coordination of servers for all funerals at St. Anthony’s Church. He also assists in the setup and take down for the Annual St. Anthony’s Harvest Festival.

Many accolades have been given to Lester Thomas, but the ones he treasures most are the Knight of the Year Award (2009), The Distinguished Service Award by the Chamber of Commerce 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 and the Gladys Brock Award in 2010-2011. These awards recognize the value of volunteerism, which could be Lester Thomas’ middle name.