Richard Thomas, ACPS crossing guard, dies at 61

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Richard Thomas, ACPS crossing guard, dies at 61
Richard Thomas (middle) with his children, Nicholas (left) and Nicolette (right). (Photo/Nicolette Thomas via GoFundMe)
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By Caitlyn Meisner | cmeisner@alextimes.com

Richard Thomas, a crossing guard at Alexandria City Public Schools for nearly 20 years, died on Oct. 1 in Falls Church. He was 61.

Thomas was born in Marabella, Trinidad, on Jan. 31, 1963, to Joyce Rampersad and Owen Thomas with his fraternal twin brother, Ronald. Thomas moved to the United States in the 1980s, living in both Virginia and Maryland during his time in the U.S.

Thomas began working for the Alexandria Police Department nearly 20 years ago as a crossing guard at ACPS. Rose Mackall, Thomas’ supervisor for 13 years, said he was an exemplary employee and took on challenges.

“He was like one of those model employees that you wish that you could clone,” Mackall said. “A couple of years ago, one of our most challenging intersections needed to be covered at John Adams [Elementary] School â€Ĥ and he went with no complaints. He learned the intersection, and he made it look so easy to do.”

Thomas was one of six people recognized as a 2023 Most Outstanding Crossing Guard by the Virginia Department of Transportation on Crossing Guard Appreciation Day.

“As students approach, he welcomes them with high-fives and contagious enthusiasm, creating an atmosphere of joy and comfort as they begin their school day,” the VDOT award website read. “His commitment to making every child feel welcome is truly commendable. He arrives early twice a day, diligently setting up cones to ensure the smooth flow of traffic and is always smiling even in adverse weather.”

Essie Tarpley, a former crossing guard of 17 years and Thomas’ coworker, said if she could use one word to describe him, it would be joy.

“I believe that Richard led with love in every facet of his life, and it did not diminish in any way or lessen when it came to his work, because he loved his community,” Tarpley said. “He was deeply devoted to the community, and they felt that. We all felt it. We knew that when Richard was out there, we were taken care of.”

Tarpley said as a crossing guard, it’s hard to tell what kind of morning or evening someone had; but, Thomas could put a smile on everyone’s face.

“I think he did this so well. When you greet someone first thing in the morning, whether they are children who didn’t want to get out of bed and didn’t want to go to school â€Ĥ you being that constant of, ‘Let’s have a good day, good morning,’ can make all the difference for someone,” Tarpley said. “Even though it seems like such a small thing, it makes such a big difference. And I know that Richard was probably the best at that.”

APD posted to Facebook notifying the community of Thomas’ death, causing many parents and community members to share memories of Thomas throughout the years.

Both Tarpley and Mackall said it was clear that Thomas had a deep love for his own children, Nicolette, 27, and Nicholas, 21.

“He was such an outstanding father with them. I could tell how proud he was of them both,” Mackall said.

Nicolette Thomas said her father was a simple man with a big personality.

“He likes to laugh. Sometimes, he would tell jokes and he’d be the only one laughing, but he was laughing really hard,” Nicolette Thomas recalled.

She too noted her father’s bright nature and joyous energy, especially when he smiled.

“Whenever he saw my brother and I, whether I was coming back into town or my brother was coming back from school, as soon as he would see us, his face would just light up so much, and his two little dimples would be so deep, and his smile would just be so big and bright,” Nicolette Thomas said. “You could just tell that he really, really, really loved us just by that look alone.”

Nicolette Thomas said her father was deeply connected to his Caribbean heritage and regularly attended events, festivals and parades in the DMV with friends. Caribbean Carnival, a cultural celebration held throughout many Caribbean islands and worldwide, was never to be missed.

“Him and all of his friends would gather around, eat, listen to the music, watch the parade,” Nicolette Thomas said. “And he did that religiously every single summer, like I always knew it was going to be there.”

She remembers her dad as being a cheerleader for her and her brother throughout their lives in every way.

“I could tell him, ‘Dad, I made a song,’ and â€Ĥ and he would think it was the most amazing thing in the world, he would probably yell to the rooftops whoever would listen,” Nicolette Thomas said.

She also said her father was dedicated to returning to Trinidad in retirement. He was building a home there for his family to flock to, and he returned to his home country once a year for a month to focus on his property.

“A lot of international parents have this dream that, ‘OK, if I build something back home, my kids will come back and be able to enjoy it, and we’ll all be able to have a place to go to,’” Nicolette Thomas said. “It was really important to make sure that he got back there, because it just was something he’s worked toward for all of these years.”

A GoFundMe was launched by the family to assist in returning Thomas to his home country to be buried with his parents. The family raised nearly $6,500 and exceeded their $5,000 goal to bring Thomas back to Trinidad.

A funeral service was held on Oct. 10 at Harvest Assembly Baptist Church. Thomas is survived by his two children, Nicolette and Nicholas Thomas; his siblings, Ronald Thomas, Diana Thomas and Angela Thomas; and several other family members. He is predeceased by his parents.

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