Roll of Honor
Robert Tilman "Felix" Thomason
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Felix Thomason suffered a fatal heart attack after he and another deputy arrested two disorderly men for being drunk in public at a store on Highway 81.
Both men resisted arrest and assaulted the deputies before being subdued. Deputy Thomason collapsed as they arrived at the county jail in Jonesborough. He was transported to Memorial Hospital where he passed away.
The two prisoners were charged with drunk in public, resisting arrest, and assault.
Deputy Thomason was a U.S. Navy veteran of WWII and had served with the Washington County Sheriff's Office for several years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, three sons, three daughters, brother, and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-73DA52E9- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Deputy Sheriff Thomason served with the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Jonesborough community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Robert Tilman "Felix" Thomason served in the Other (1942â1945) before joining law enforcement.
Deputy Sheriff Robert Tilman "Felix" Thomason is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TN, 37 of 769 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 4.8% of this state's fallen. That is 0.8 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
At Washington County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Tilman "Felix" Thomason's cause is highlighted.
How Robert Tilman "Felix" Thomason Compares
Offender Outcome
Arrested
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Tilman "Felix" Thomason is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Washington County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
