Donald F. Thomas

Donald Frank Thomas entered the world on November 16, 1953, in Savannah, Tennessee, the firstborn son of Frank Wilson and Bobbie Beckham Thomas, eventually making him the oldest of three brothers. He graduated from the local high school then made his way to Bethel College in McKenzie, Tennessee where he earned his Bachelor of Arts. The next milestone in his educational journey was his Master of Divinity from Memphis Theological Seminary which was followed by a Doctor of Ministry in pastoral care and counseling from Boston University. At that point his family believed they would be forced to retire their career student jokes, but Don continued his formal education with classes at The University of North Texas where he studied mental health counseling. His love of learning was a lifelong passion, one that led him to research his family’s genealogy as well as the history of the Olive Hill community from which many of his mother’s people came. One of the mainstays of that area was the Olive Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church; it is that church’s life that is chronicled in his book “Cumberlands on the Hill”.

The years following the completion of his formal education found him serving as the pastor for several churches in Tennessee, Texas, and Arkansas before ending his ministry in March of 2020 with the Allsboro Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Cherokee, Alabama. He also filled the role of an individual and family counselor in both public and private practice, and taught for several years at the Theological Seminary and Bethel College, both of which he had graduated from decades before.

Along the way Don met his soulmate—the love of his life—Nancy Lee Curtis. In November of 1997, they married in a beautiful ceremony that reflected their devotion to one another and to their God. They were blessed with 22 years of marriage before Nancy’s death on December 9, 2019.

Don was an avid reader, something that served him well during his years of isolation brought on by the pandemic. Serious health problems led his doctors to warn against venturing out into the world, and Don did his best to comply without complaining or wallowing in self-pity. Before his wife’s health began to fail, they had traveled around the country together, with their favorite destination being wherever Nancy’s children and grandchildren might be. He truly enjoyed time with his family, and Thanksgiving and Christmas at the Thomas household in Savannah was always filled with chaos and laughter and stories from years gone by, much of which was provided by Don and his brothers Joe and Tim. Don’s approach to life allowed him to find the humor in almost any moment, and to then bring that moment to everyone else’s attention.

Despite his poor health, Don’s death was unexpected when it came on November 11, 2022, just five days shy of his 69th birthday. He leaves behind his parents, Frank and Bobbie Thomas of Savannah, Tennessee; his step-children Teresa Condrey and her husband Garry and John Sowell and his wife Maritza, all of Chicago, Illinois; his brothers Joe Thomas and his wife Lisa of Savannah, Tennessee and Tim Thomas and his wife Amanda of Collierville, Tennessee, his niece Kathryne Guinn and her husband Dennis, and his nephews Joseph Thomas and his wife Natalie, Josh Thomas and his wife Morgan, Jordan Thomas and his wife Teresa, and Jake Thomas. He also leaves his great-nieces Cora and Caris Thomas; his great-nephews Wilson, Anderson, Acker, and Beckham Thomas and Malcolm Guinn; and his step-grandchildren Nicole, Garry, Isla, and Nina.

Don’s Facebook page was filled with words of wisdom, humor, and faith. On February 5, 2016, he shared a post-communion prayer that he sometimes used on Sundays, one that seems quite appropriate today:

Blessed are all your saints, O God, who have traveled over the tempestuous sea of this mortal life and have made the harbor of peace and felicity. Watch over us who are still in our dangerous voyage; and remember such as lie exposed to the rough storms of trouble and temptation. Frail is our vessel and the ocean is wide; but as in your mercy you have set our course, so steer the vessel of our life toward the everlasting shore of peace, and bring us at last to the quiet haven of our heart's desire where you, O our God, are blessed and where you live and reign forever and ever; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
--St. Augustine