William D Thomas

On July 9, 2017, the long and fruitful life of Bill Thomas came to a peaceful close in the loving presence of family members. He passed away from respiratory failure after a brief illness. Bill was born March 10, 1924 in Los Angeles, California to Halcott Thomas Sr. and Lelia Thomas.

In 1943 while a student at University of Southern California, Bill enlisted in the Army Air Corps as his older brother Halcott Thomas Jr. (Hal) had done. He was a pilot and flight instructor of C-47 aircraft during WWII and rose to rank of Lieutenant. He ventured to Charlotte in 1951 to work for his uncle Roy Goode in the construction industry. Two years later, on a blind date arranged by his cousin Vernon Goode, he met southern belle Nancy Barnhardt. They quickly became sweethearts and soulmates and married on April 1 (no foolin'), 1955 in Charlotte. When the honeymooning couple arrived in Sea Island, Georgia, they soon discovered that Nancy's parents were also there on a pre-arranged vacation. Bill wondered what he had committed himself to, but it seems to have worked out just fine. They returned to Sea Island for their 50th anniversary; Bill showed the front desk clerk his original receipt from 1955 and was only charged the same honeymoon rate from 50 years ago.

Bill started Thomas Construction Corp. in 1959, building custom homes in Charlotte for over 35 years. He served as President of the Charlotte Homebuilders Association and enjoyed many friendships with peers in the industry. He was a long time member of Myers Park Presbyterian Church, where he served for many years as a Deacon. He enjoyed raising tomatoes in his backyard garden and picking up pecans from the seven pecan trees in his yard surrounding the home he built for Nancy and their children on Red Fox Trail. Bill spent many hours driving a boat for his children and their friends to enjoy water skiing, and then he relaxed by fishing on Lake Norman. The family has many years of fond memories of annual vacations at Litchfield Beach, where Bill loved swimming with and playing board games with his grandchildren and walking on the beach.

Bill is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Nancy, to whom he was devoted. They have four children: Bill (Didi) of Richmond, VA, Richard (Debby), Meg, and Charlie (Tracy), all of Charlotte. Bill always had fun spending time with his five grandchildren: Margaret and Laura Thomas, Sam (Kari) and Vicki Thomas, and Jackie (Adam) Runne. He also eagerly anticipated the upcoming births of two great-grandchildren later this year, and smiled broadly as he viewed an ultrasound photo of his great-grandson, only hours before he passed. Bill is survived by many nieces and nephews, and was predeceased by his brother Hal and sister-in-law Julia. The family wishes to extend gratitude to Sharon Williams and Patricia Tolbert for their devoted caregiving and companionship to Nancy and Bill. We especially want to recognize the deep and warm friendship between Bill and Michael Dailey, whose humor delighted and sometimes befuddled our dad.

The life of Bill Thomas will be celebrated by his family and a host of dear friends on Friday, July 14. Entombment will be at 10 am at Forest Lawn West Cemetery. The Funeral Service will be held at 11 am in the Myers Park Presbyterian Church Sanctuary, 2501 Oxford Place, with visitation to follow in Oxford Hall. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or to a charity of your choice.