The City Council recently officially announced that Malad’s Larry and Wendy Thomas will be this year’s Independence Day Grand Marshals.

The two have been fixtures in Malad for decades, and over that time they have always loved the town, and the 4th of July specifically.  

“It’s kind of funny,” Wendy said.  “This is the first year Larry would be able to watch the parade from our house, but we’re IN the parade this year!” 

As far as a couple who are perfect to represent the town for the Independence Day holiday, you couldn’t do much better than Wendy and Larry.  To start with, they are both graduates from the Class of ‘76.  (“Now that’s 1976, not 18,” Larry laughs.). 

In some ways, it’s hard to believe that it’s been fifty years since the country celebrated the Bicentennial, which must have been hard at the time for people to believe had been 50 years since the sesquicentennial.

Wendy is originally from Magna where she graduated as a salutatorian, but having lived in Malad for five decades she feels comfortable in claiming Idaho as her home state.

Larry, who was born and raised in Malad, is glad she does.

“We love it here.  This is the place to be,” Larry says.

A lot of things have changed in the last fifty years, of course, while a lot of things have stayed comfortably the same.  One thing that hasn’t changed is that there is no agreement on who – Larry or Wendy – was the one that knocked food out of the other one’s hand at a social event when they first met.  While most people are clear that it was more likely to be one of them than the other, there is one holdout who doesn’t agree. 

Although they did meet at that original church Young Adult function, “It wasn’t love at first sight,” Wendy laughs.

They both agreed that it took a little time before they knew they were the ones for each other, but from then on they haven’t looked back and they suit each other very well.

The two can be found at Thomas Electric and Furniture, where Larry has been an employee since his youth, or driving bus, which they both do for the school district, or at their home, where they are often joined by the four children who still live in town and their grandkids.

Becky Cox, Matt Thomas, Elsie Maughan, and Houston Thomas all still live in town, while oldest son Dallas lives in Florida, and son Jason lives in Rupert.

For years, the family has had a tradition of watching the Fourth of July parade front the house, where (as Larry says) the kids and grandkids all cheer for Wendy.

This year, many of the kids and grandkids will also be on the float.  Last year, the family all gathered to celebrate the 75th year of Thomas Electric with a float.  This year, they will be celebrating the lucky 76th, along with America’s 250th.

“It’s hard to believe,” Larry says.  “’76 doesn’t seem that long ago, really.”

A lot of us can relate, though there are some historic landmarks to look back on that thrown the distance into sharper relief.  The two remember when fireworks used to be let off up at the elementary school, for instance, which they watched from home.

“They might have decided that was too dangerous,” Larry laughs.

The fireworks may have changed venues, but the holiday still has the same feeling to it that they both love.  “Our kids are very into traditions,” Larry says.  “We’ve been doing this for years, and it’s great.  They probably wouldn’t let us stop,” he laughs.

Wendy smiles.  They are both easygoing people, who it’s hard to imagine getting overly upset about things, especially kids.  Driving a bus full of them for years would surely sort out that attitude.

Wendy encapsulates the mood well, when she says, “I think you live your life, and you do what you can to help others along the way, as much as you can.”

It’s a mantra that most people would recognize is right at home in the Thomas family.