Danny Thomason

Dr. Danny Thomason, a well-known Little Rock optometrist and storied Immanuel Baptist Sunday School teacher, has died. Thomason passed away on Monday, January 13, at Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock, after a long illness. He was the son of the late Trav and Pauline Thomason of Hampton, Ark. and the brother of Hollywood producer and director, Harry Thomason.

After graduating from Hampton High School, Thomason earned a B.A. in Biology at Southern Arkansas University; a degree in optometry from the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tenn.; and a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree in advanced optometric science from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. For decades, Thomason taught an overflowing Sunday school class at Immanuel Baptist Church, where he was well known, not only as an exceptional Bible scholar but also as an accomplished pianist and songwriter. In the early 1970s, he taught high school English in Hot Springs, Ark. while moonlighting as a piano player and singer. His lifelong interest in theater eventually culminated in a guest starring role as “Reggie Mac Dawson” on the television series, “Designing Women,” created by his sister-in-law, Linda Bloodworth Thomason. As she recently wrote, “he was just a natural comedian and a killer storyteller…he elevated every room he entered, inspiring, informing and/or entertaining pretty much everyone he ever came across. How lucky we all were to have had him in our lives!” Besides his brother and sister-in-law, Thomason is survived by his niece, Stacy Thomason Zion, and her husband, Mark, of Chicago, Ill., and their three children, Madison, Chase and Sophie. He also leaves behind numerous Thomason and Means cousins.

A family graveside burial service will be held at the Means Cemetery in Hampton, Ark. on Saturday, January 17, at 1:30 p.m. This will be followed by a reception at the Hampton United Methodist Church. A larger memorial service will be held in Little Rock on a date forthcoming.

In lieu of flowers, the Thomason family requests that memorial donations be made to The Humane Society of Pulaski County, 14600 Colonel Glenn Rd., Little Rock, AR 72210 in memory of Danny’s beloved dogs, Beacon and Mister.

Arrangements are by Benton Funeral Home of Fordyce, Ark. To sign the online register visit www.bentonfuneralhome.net.