Edward Lowell Thomas Jr.

Edward Lowell Thomas, Jr. was born during a snow storm in Omaha, Nebraska on January 21, 1959. He was the oldest of six children. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Donna, daughters, René (Josh) Brown and Jenni Levine, by his mother, Jeannine Thomas and siblings, Robert (Toni), David (Wrenn), Paul (Nancy Szabados), Kelly (Francisco) Ojeda and Phillip. His grandchildren, Asher, Laurel, Zachary and Corinne were his greatest joy!

Eddie received a degree in Industrial Engineering from NC State University and worked for Union Carbide making Energizer batteries for three years. He then got his Master of Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He enjoyed teaching Sunday School and singing in the church choir. He retired from BB&T bank after working as a website Quality Assurance Analyst for 19 years.

If you knew Ed, you know he was a prolific jokester. Some of those jokes were truly funny and others were typical “Dad” jokes. Not long ago he said he thought 1 Corinthians 15:51 was the perfect verse for a baby nursery - “…we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.” He liked making people laugh.

Eddie’s deep Christian faith guided him every day and sustained him through his recent health challenges. He loved Jesus and God’s word, especially the study of salvation by grace and prophecy. Upon his diagnosis with kidney cancer, he began writing down his defense for the validity of what the Bible teaches on these subjects. His greatest desire was to leave family and friends with a way to be certain of their salvation and certain of God’s plan for the future. His writings are at madeforthemillennium.blog.

Ed’s favorite hobbies were fishing, grilling, college football and gardening. He took his yearly quest to grow the perfect tomato very seriously! Last year he planted over 12 tomato plants in 5-gallon buckets on his deck. It looked like a jungle!

Eddie loved his family deeply and we loved him just as fiercely. We miss him very much! So many family traditions won’t be the same without him. But, we will cherish each memory and look forward to the day when we’re all together again.

A memorial service will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at Apex Funeral Home Chapel, followed by a reception.

Instead of flowers, we hope you will share a memory, a picture or a few kind words at the "Add a Memory" link below.