He was a native of Walnut, North Carolina and longtime resident of McMinn County, he was a son of the late Roy and Mae Doan Thomas. He was also preceded in death by a brother Frankie Thomas, and a step-daughter, Dianne Hunt.
He was a member of Allen Memorial United Methodist Church. He served in the U.S. Navy. He was associated with TVA as a pipefitter, worked with the Meigs County Rescue Squad and had a lawn service.
He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Anita Thomas of Athens; a step-daughter, Kandi Burnette of Athens; granddaughter and her husband, Sarah and Shannon Young of Athens, Katie and Alex Burnett of Athens, Brooklyn Hill-Moten of Chickamauga, GA; grandson, Ryan Hunt of Athens; two sisters and one brother-in-law, Barbara and Glenn Shelton and Jo Ann Frisby all of Marshall, N.C.; mother-in-law, Jo Ann Cross of Etowah; and five special friends, Charles Allen Bailey, Polly Fowler, Bruce Ingram, Bobby and Rebecca Minor.
A funeral service was conducted, 7:00 pm, Saturday, June 16, 2018 in the chapel of Smith Funeral Home with Rev. Charla Sherbakoff officiating. The family will receive friends from 5:00-7:00 pm Saturday at the funeral home prior to the service.
The family suggests memorials be made to Allen Memorial United Methodist Church Youth Group, 800 Decatur Pike, Athens, TN 37303.