John Edward Thomas

Born in 1955, John Edward Thomas, 67, of Angola, Indiana, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 26, 2022. He was the son of David and Dorothy (Webb) Thomas and grew up with his three brothers in Hobart, Indiana. John graduated from Hobart High School in 1973 and went on to attend Wabash College. He received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Indiana University in Bloomington and master’s degree in business from St. Mary’s College of California.

John married the love of his life, JoAnn Gavin, on October 13, 1979. The couple lived and grew their family in Indiana, California and Delaware before eventually happily settling in Portage, Michigan for 25 years with their three boys, David, Nicholas, and Robert. They met several lifelong friends there. John was a member of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church. John and JoAnn spent every summer traveling to their family cottage on Lake James. In recent years, they transitioned to wintering in Sun City West, Arizona, where he enjoyed playing golf and pickleball with friends and family.

John was a successful business executive leading many organizations, most recently with Garland Industries.

Surviving are his wife, JoAnn Thomas of Angola, Indiana; sons, David (Stacey Zeller) Thomas of Huntersville, North Carolina, Nicholas (Alison Blankenship) of Indianapolis, Indiana and Robert (Berkeley Lee) Thomas of Grand Rapids, Michigan; his mother, Dorothy Thomas of Angola, Indiana; brothers, Donald (Mary Beth) Thomas of Angola, Indiana, Ronald (Lori) Thomas of South Bend, Indiana and Robert (Melissa) Thomas of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

John was a loving husband, father and friend. He was a great father to his three boys. He could often be seen giving JoAnn pedicures and taking family and friends for boat rides. He enjoyed playing with and teaching his nieces and nephews how to ski. John was an avid bike rider and completed several 100+ mile rides with his close friends, Rick and Todd. In his downtime, John enjoyed reading and watching sports, always rooting for the Hoosiers.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, November 12, 2022, at St. Anthony of Padua

Catholic Church in Angola, Indiana with Father Osman Ramos officiating. Visitation will be from 10-11 AM on Saturday, November 12, 2022, prior to the service at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in his name to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (givenow.lls.org/JET) and Make-A-Wish.

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