Francis Paul Thimsen

Francis Paul Thimsen, 89, of Cary, NC went to be with his Lord on May 26th while in the presence of family. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather whose life goal was to serve His Lord in every role given to him. His easy smile and outgoing personality left no one a stranger to him. He taught Sunday School and was a mentor to many. He served as a deacon, was on various mission committees and church boards, assisted with the radio ministry of Wisdom for the Heart and was chairman of the Interfaith committee at Searstone, starting a Sunday evening Vespers service. Memorable mission trips included times in Brazil, Honduras, and Latvia which involved church planting and re-establishing ministries.

He was born in St. Paul, MN to Dana May (Berry) and Dudley Emmanuel on October 5, 1931. After the death of his father in 1941, the family moved to San Diego. He graduated from San Diego High School and then earned a Bachelor of Arts from California Baptist Theological Seminary and a Master of Arts from University of Redlands. He had classes with Mary Joyce Youngblood at California Baptist Seminary, teased her in the library, and proposed to her three months later. They married in August 1953. He worked for IBM for 30 years. During those years, the family lived in Canoga Park, CA; Poughkeepsie, NY; and San Jose, CA. He and Joyce moved to Cary, NC in 2003 and then to the Searstone retirement community in 2016.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his oldest son, Steven Paul. His surviving family include his wife, Joyce, son, Bob (Pam) Thimsen, daughter, Linda (Jerry) Fredericks, grandchildren: Amy (Adam) Neithercut, Joel (Jenn) Thimsen, Steven (Dawn) Thimsen, Jonathan Fredericks and 15 great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to : The Shepherd’s Church Mobilization ministry (shepherds.org/mobilization), Wisdom for the Heart (wisdomonline.org), Searstone endowment fund (15001 Searstone Dr, Cary, NC 27517, attn: accounting), or Transitions Lifecare/hospice (transitionslifecare.org/donate)

Memorial Service: The Shepherd's Church (chapel), 6051 Tryon Road, Cary, NC, Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at 1 pm. Private family burial to follow.

Brown-Wynne Funeral Home assisting the Thimsen family.