Orrin David Thomas

March 26, 1943 – May 14, 2025

Orrin David Thomas passed away on May 14, 2025, at the age of 82. Born on March 26, 1943, at Kentucky Baptist Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, Orrin David was the only son of Cecil and Cecilia Thomas.

Dave’s formative years were spent on a farm in Auburn, Alabama, where he was raised surrounded by family, friends, and a deep connection to the land. It was in those early years that he formed a lifelong friendship with Tommy Hill—a bond that endured for nearly eight decades. Auburn also fostered his lifelong love for agriculture and his unshakable loyalty to the Auburn Tigers as a proud War Eagle.

A graduate of Auburn University with a degree in Agricultural Sciences, Dave was recruited straight out of college by Eli Lilly and Company, which took him to West Texas, where he worked as an agricultural salesman. It was there that he met his first wife Nancy and started a family, raising two children—Jodi Lynne and Jeffrey David.

After a successful 18-year career with Eli Lilly, Dave shifted gears and embraced entrepreneurship, founding a carpet cleaning business that thrived along the Gulf Coast in Pensacola, Florida. He remained in Pensacola through retirement, often returning to his cherished farm in Auburn to hunt and walk the land that had been in his family for nearly a century.

He led a life full of quiet joys and passionate hobbies. He loved gardening—especially the taste of a perfectly ripe tomato—beekeeping, and birdwatching, with a particular fondness for hummingbirds. In his younger years, he was an avid fisherman and enjoyed this hobby in his retirement taking memorable fishing trips with his son.

Dave is survived by his daughter, Jodi Carcamo (Ernie); his son, Jeffrey Thomas (Jamey); his grandchildren, Josephine, William, and Mindy; and extended family and friends who will miss him deeply.

He is predeceased by his parents, and his beloved wife Linda Pearson. A private celebration of Dave’s life will be held at Bayview Fisher-Pou Chapel & Bayview Memorial Park in Pensacola, Florida.

May his soul rest in peace, and may his life continue to be a blessing to all who knew and loved him.