Charles Perry “Perry” Thomason, 82, of Columbus, Georgia, passed away surrounded by his loved ones on Sunday, July 26, 2026.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 1, 2026, in the chapel of McMullen Funeral Home and Crematory. The family will receive friends during a public visitation beginning one hour prior to the service at the funeral home, located at 3874 Gentian Boulevard in Columbus. A committal service with military honors will follow at 3:30 p.m. at Oak Hill Cemetery, 902 North Highland Road in Quitman, Georgia.

Perry was born on October 23, 1943, in Quitman, Georgia, to the late Charles Homer “Homer” Thomason and Mary Catherine Gramlin Thomason.

He attended Georgia Southwestern, where he met Mary Frances, the woman who would become his wife and lifelong companion. They married on March 1, 1969, and shared more than 57 years together. Perry later earned a master’s degree in mathematics from Georgia State University.

Perry devoted his professional life to education, teaching high school mathematics at Kendrick High School before retiring from the Muscogee County School District. Intelligent, independent, and steadfast in his convictions, he was also known for his sharp wit, dry sarcasm, and memorable sense of humor.

An Army veteran, Perry carried a deep love of aviation throughout his adult life. He was a lifelong pilot and flight instructor who taught many others to fly and also flew corporate aircraft. Aviation was not simply a pastime for him; it was a career, a passion, and an enduring part of who he was.

He also loved horses and owned them throughout his life. His other interests included hunting, traveling, road trips, old Westerns, and spending time with his family. Whether in the classroom, in the air, on horseback, or gathered with those he loved, Perry lived with curiosity, determination, and a spirit that was unmistakably his own.

Perry is survived by his beloved wife, Mary Frances Thomason of Columbus; his daughters, Cathy Love and her husband, Christopher, of Newnan, Georgia, and Elaine Smith and her husband, Joseph, of Madison, Georgia; his grandchildren, Zachary Love and Trista Love, Neil Smith, Kevin Smith and his wife, Lina, Mary Beth Hall and her husband, Reno, Timothy Smith, Thomas Smith, Catherine Smith, and Matthew Smith; and his sister, Carol Rhyan and her husband, Jack.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, David Thomason.