Cedar Oak Memorial Park

Even at 80 years old, the longtime matriarch of Thomas Rib Shack, a staple of Tuscaloosa’s west side, spent her days visiting the restaurant, checking in with customers, visiting her children and making the restaurant’s signature homemade barbecue sauce that is sold in stores across the county.On Dec. 21, the day before she passed away from natural causes at her home, Thomas and her family were dancing and celebrating Christmas early at the restaurant, a place known for its barbecue and soul food. Thomas was the first to get everyone up on their feet to dance."Everyone was having a good time," said Sharon, Thomas’ daughter. "We were all eating and laughing."Thomas and her husband, Charles, started Thomas Rib Shack in 1971 near their home on Willow Lane. Initially started as a grocery store, the business eventually began selling barbecue and the tradition continued when they moved to their current 15th Street location. For a time, they also ran a second location on Hargrove Road.If Charles was the heart of the restaurant, Betty was its face."You would always see her in the restaurant, talking with customers," said Shon, Thomas’ granddaughter. "At 80, she would be in the back taking care of guests.""Everyone knew who she was," said Thomas' son, Michael.In 1948, Thomas and her family moved from their Sumter County home in Epes to Tuscaloosa, where her father worked on the railroad and her mother was a homemaker. Betty and Charles got married in 1966. In the early days, Charles earned a living at Central Foundry while Betty worked at a clothing factory. However, it was Charles who always had dreams of making his own way."My dad was a visionary," Sharon said. "He had a little land in his backyard, so he thought ‘Why not make a store?’ because there was no store around there."The way Thomas’ family tells it, both Charles and Betty leaned on one another to make the restaurant successful. In later years, the couple also owned a trucking company and ran c...

BOYS PUBLIC    Class 6A    1. Galena Park North Shore, 19-1; 2. Duncanville, 14-7; 3. Dallas Jesuit, 18-3; 4. Allen, 22-2; 5. Denton Guyer, 18-4; 6. Houston Eisenhower, 16-5; 7. North Crowley, 22-3; 8. Richardson Pearce, 16-7; 9. Rockwall, 19-5; 10. Austin Westlake, 21-3; 11. South Garland, 13-6; 12. DeSoto, 15-7; 13. Houston Sam Houston, 16-5; 14. Klein Forest, 17-3; 15. Mansfield Lake Ridge, 19-5; 16. Killeen Ellison, 18-5; 17. Lake Travis, 22-3; 18. Killeen Shoemaker, 18-5; 19. Katy Morton Ranch, 17-6; 20. Katy Cinco Ranch, 18-4; 21. Fort Bend Elkins, 18-6; 22. Wylie, 18-3; 23. Laredo United, 20-1; 24. Cibolo Steele, 16-6; 25. Mansfield, 17-5.    Class 5A    1. Lancaster, 17-2; 2. SA Wagner, 17-5; 3. Mansfield Timberview, 20-2; 4. Justin Northwest, 17-6; 5. Alvin Shadow Creek, 17-4; 6. Sulphur Springs, 14-8; 7. Lewisville The Colony, 19-4; 8. EP Burges, 19-4; 9. Fort Bend Hightower, 17-7; 10. Mount Belvieu Barbers Hill, 19-5; 11. Port Arthur Memorial, 15-6; 12. Little Elm, 15-7; 13. Dallas Kimball, 12-8; 14. Red Oak, 18-5; 15. FW Brewer, 17-4; 16. Dripping Springs, 15-4; 17. Austin LBJ, 11-5; 18. A&M Consolidated, 17-3; 19. Dallas South Oak Cliff, 12-10; 20. Mansfield Legacy, 21-4; 21. Pflugerville Connally, 14-6; 22. College Station, 24-1; 23. Frisco Lone Star, 13-7; 24. Amarillo Caprock, 19-2; 25. Amarillo Palo Duro, 15-1.    Class 4A    1. Dallas Hutchins, 18-3; 2. Dallas Faith Family, 18-6; 3. Silsbee, 13-7; 4. Houston Yates, 10-3; 5. Dallas Carter, 14-5; 6. Decatur, 21-3; 7. Kennedale, 21-2; 8. FW Dunbar, 11-13; 9. Argyle, 16-7; 10. Lubbock Estacado, 9-8; 11. Palestine, 15-3; 12. Clint, 15-7; 13. Dallas Lincoln, 11-10; 14. Longview Spring Hill, 25-2; 15. La Marque, 13-11; 16. Waco Connally, 11-7; 17. Hardin-Jefferson, 19-7; 18. Burkburnett, 14-8; 19. Needville, 13-7; 20. Liberty Hill, 17-5; 21. Pleasanton, 19-3; 22. Houston Wheatley, 10-3; 23. Pampa, 17-6; 24. Snyder, 18-5; 25. Taylor, 18-3.    Class 3A ...

BOYS PUBLIC Class 6A 1. Galena Park North Shore, 19-1; 2. Duncanville, 14-7; 3. Dallas Jesuit, 18-3; 4. Allen, 22-2; 5. Denton Guyer, 18-4; 6. Houston Eisenhower, 16-5; 7. North Crowley, 22-3; 8. Richardson Pearce, 16-7; 9. Rockwall, 19-5; 10. Austin Westlake, 21-3; 11. South Garland, 13-6; 12. DeSoto, 15-7; 13. Houston Sam Houston, 16-5; 14. Klein Forest, 17-3; 15. Mansfield Lake Ridge, 19-5; 16. Killeen Ellison, 18-5; 17. Lake Travis, 22-3; 18. Killeen Shoemaker, 18-5; 19. Katy Morton Ranch, 17-6; 20. Katy Cinco Ranch, 18-4; 21. Fort Bend Elkins, 18-6; 22. Wylie, 18-3; 23. Laredo United, 20-1; 24. Cibolo Steele, 16-6; 25. Mansfield, 17-5. Class 5A 1. Lancaster, 17-2; 2. SA Wagner, 17-5; 3. Mansfield Timberview, 20-2; 4. Justin Northwest, 17-6; 5. Alvin Shadow Creek, 17-4; 6. Sulphur Springs, 14-8; 7. Lewisville The Colony, 19-4; 8. EP Burges, 19-4; 9. Fort Bend Hightower, 17-7; 10. Mount Belvieu Barbers Hill, 19-5; 11. Port Arthur Memorial, 15-6; 12. Little Elm, 15-7; 13. Dallas Kimball, 12-8; 14. Red Oak, 18-5; 15. FW Brewer, 17-4; 16. Dripping Springs, 15-4; 17. Austin LBJ, 11-5; 18. College Station, 24-1; 19. Dallas South Oak Cliff, 12-10; 20. Mansfield Legacy, 21-4; 21. Pflugerville Connally, 14-6; 22. A&M Consolidated, 17-3; 23. Frisco Lone Star, 13-7; 24. Amarillo Caprock, 19-2; 25. Amarillo Palo Duro, 15-1. Class 4A 1. Dallas Hutchins, 18-3; 2. Dallas Faith Family, 18-6; 3. Silsbee, 13-7; 4. Houston Yates, 10-3; 5. Dallas Carter, 14-5; 6. Decatur, 21-3; 7. Kennedale, 21-2; 8. FW Dunbar, 11-13; 9. Argyle, 16-7; 10. Lubbock Estacado, 9-8; 11. Palestine, 15-3; 12. Clint, 15-7; 13. Dallas Lincoln, 11-10; 14. Longview Spring Hill, 25-2; 15. La Marque, 13-11; 16. Waco Connally, 11-7; 17. Hardin-Jefferson, 19-7; 18. Burkburnett, 14-8; 19. Needville, 13-7; 20. Liberty Hill, 17-5; 21. Pleasanton, 19-...