David Richard Thomas

David Richard "Dick" Thomas died June 30, 2018 at his home in Columbus, Ohio. He was born in Columbus, Ohio on March 31, 1927, the eldest son of Warren H. and Evelyn Davis Thomas. During his youth, the family lived in Cincinnati and Dayton before moving to Xenia, Ohio in 1937.

Dick graduated from Xenia High School in 1945, where he was class president for three years, captain of the football team, and a member of the National Honor Society. Following graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served aboard four Pacific Fleet ships during World War II.

Upon his discharge, Dick enrolled at The Ohio State University to study architecture and joined the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. In 1948, he met Joan "Joey" Saveson, who was born in Gahanna, Ohio and was at the time a student at Louisiana State University. They both graduated college in 1951, and a week later were married at Peace Lutheran Church in Gahanna. That same year they moved to Xenia, where their four children were born and raised. Dick practiced architecture in Dayton before starting his own firm in Xenia in 1958. In 1959, he contracted paralytic polio and spent months in the hospital for recuperation and rehabilitation. In 1961, Verdin Moll joined his firm as a partner.

Deeply involved in civic activities in Xenia, Dick served as president of the Kiwanis Club, Chamber of Commerce, and the Greene County Historical Society. He served on the board of the Legal Aid Society, the Human and Civil Rights Commissions, and the Spirit of '74 Committee following the Xenia Tornado. In 1974, the Xenia community awarded Dick with the Torrence Award. He was a member and elder of Westminster Presbyterian Church, where he sang in the choir for many years.

In 1983, Dick and Joey moved to Adams County, Ohio, where they lived a more rustic, nature-related lifestyle on forested acres in the Appalachian foothills. Dick helped establish the Adams County Chamber of Commerce and served as its treasurer.

After Dick endured a variety of medical adventures, he and Joey moved to Columbus in 1997, where three of their children lived. For the next fifteen years Dick volunteered with his son, Jeff, at the Ohio Historical Society and the Ohio State University Archives, and with Joey at the Inniswood Metro Gardens.

Dick is survived by Joey, sons Jeff (Beth) and Gary, daughter Leslie (Bill), and daughter-in-law Carol, five grandchildren, Dylan (Tami), Sam, Megan, Jake and Nick, and two great-grandchildren, Tate and Gavin. He was predeceased by his parents, brother Warren "Tom", and eldest son Rory.

In lieu of funeral services, family and friends will celebrate Dick's life at a later date. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Inniswood Volunteers, Inc., 940 S. Hempstead Road Westerville, OH 43081 or The Ohio State University Archives, 2700 Kenny Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210.