Our family is deeply saddened to announce the sudden passing of Ricky Claude Thomas on May 22, 2022. Rick was born on November 9, 1959 in Birmingham, Alabama to Junior B Thomas and Mary Janette Rhodes. He was raised with his brother Jeff in Birmingham and they both cherished their stepfather, Wayne Card.
After high school, Rick went on a mission trip to West Virginia to help build houses for those in need and then enrolled at Marshall University. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice in 1981 and began his law enforcement career with the University Police Department. Rick moved to The Lone Star State in 1984 to work at the University of Texas at Austin Police Department and then the Round Rock Police Department where he was a founding member of the Police Officer’s Association. Rick worked hard and rose to the rank of Captain where his responsibilities included management over dispatch and later IT departments when computers became more prevalent in daily life.
At the request of City Hall, Rick was put in charge of IT over all of the City of Round Rock and ultimately became Director. Rick retired from the city in 2006 and joined the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality the same year. Rick served in multiple roles for more than ten years at TCEQ where he advanced and led technology services, information security, and records management for the agency and the public. He was a well-respected leader in the organization and a mentor to many.
Rick was happily married to Karen Bumpus in 2007 and they traveled the country as full time RV’ers upon retiring in 2019. They loved traveling together, kayaking, building fires on the beach - no one could build a fire like Rick - and exploring all of the great sights the country has to offer. Rick loved golf - both watching and playing. He was a loyal Dallas Cowboys fan and enjoyed watching the University of Alabama win national championships, Roll Tide!
Rick is survived by his wife Karen Bumpus Thomas of Conroe, TX; his son Erik Thomas and his wife Heather, their son Matthew and soon to be 2nd son of Houston, TX; his daughter Emily Thomas and her wife Andrea Borchert of Uhland, TX; and his stepdaughter Danielle and her husband Ignacio Saldana of Lacey, WA. He is preceded in death by his mother, Janette and stepfather Wayne Card both of Birmingham, AL; and his mother-in-law, Gloria Bumpus of Lake Charles, LA.
Rick was a loving and generous person who lived a life of service. All who knew him are greatly saddened by his loss.
Celebration of Rick’s life will be at Golf Club of Houston, 5650 Wilson Rd., Humble, TX 77396 on Saturday, July 9, 2022 at 4:30 in the afternoon.
The family would like to extend their heartfelt appreciation to the first responders of the Rockport Police Department, EMS, and the doctors and nurses of Rockport ER.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.17