Robert Lee Thomas

Robert Lee “R.L.” Thomas, of Advance, North Carolina and formerly of Canton, Georgia, passed away Monday, May 23, 2022. He was 89. Mr. Thomas is survived by his wife, Sara Mae Copeland Thomas; daughter, Ruth Thomas McIntyre, and son-in-law, Tim McIntyre, of Advance, North Carolina; granddaughters, Sharity (Michal) Nesnick, of Canton, Georgia, and Erika (Michael) Neldner, of Woodstock, Georgia; and five great-grandchildren, Hunter, Kelsey and Jaeda Nesnick and Jackson and Evan Neldner. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews he loved dearly. He was predeceased by his parents Ira Gunter Thomas and Rhoda Louise Garrett Thomas; brother, Ira Gunter Thomas Jr.; sisters, Dessie Naomi Chester (Elmer), Lillian Terry (Talmadge), Stella Terry (Herbert), Willie Clyde Eason (Lloyd), Mary Carolyn Turner (Herbert), Louise Jackson (Sam), and Evelyn Marie Morgan. Mr. Thomas was born in Canton, Georgia in March 1933 in a small home still standing on East Cherokee Drive near Beavers Road. He farmed at a young age with his family and later worked at the Canton Cotton Mill. He found joy in building and worked construction and carpentry in Cherokee and surrounding counties. Mr. Thomas was happiest in the outdoors, frequently taking his boat on Allatoona Lake and camping at both Sweetwater and Victoria campgrounds. He enjoyed traveling to Panama City Beach, Florida and fishing off the pier. He loved the area so much that in the 1960s, he and his family moved to Bay County, Florida where he and his wife managed the Sandbox Gift Shop and a bait shop on the Panama City Beach pier. After returning to Georgia, he lived in Cobb County before returning to Cherokee County where he found the perfect property in the Free Home Community. He built his own fishing pond so he could fish whenever he wanted. He and his wife moved to Advance, North Carolina in 2010 to be close to their daughter. Mr. Thomas will be cremated, and a memorial service will be held in Canton, Georgia at a later date. Vogler & Sons in Clemmons, North Carolina and Sosebee Funeral Home in Canton, Georgia were honored to assist the family.