Donald Lee Thomas Sr.

On March 10, 2010, Donald Lee (Don) Thomas Sr., 68, of Roanoke, Va., passed away gently from the arms of his family into the waiting arms of his savior, Jesus Christ. He was surrounded by his loving wife and daughter, his dear friend, Ron Lundy, and his beloved doctor, Craig Mitchell, and nurse, Theresa, at the time of his passing. Don was born December 27, 1941, the son of Cecil and Marie Thomas. He is survived by his loving wife, Shirley Smallwood Thomas; sister, Shirley Marie Thomas; his son, Donald Jr. (Lisa); his daughter, Whitney Liner (Josh); his grandchildren, Patrick Lee and Madeline Grace Thomas and Colton Joshua Liner. He is also survived by a large extended family and many devoted friends and colleagues. He is predeceased by his parents and older brother, Cecil Jr. Don was born in Richmond and moved to Roanoke in 1955, when his father was transferred to the company that became Carter Machinery. He was a football and baseball star at William Fleming High School and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a pitcher. He joined Carter Machinery in 1965, where he met his beloved wife, Shirley. "Hubby" and "Fanny" were married and devoted to each other for 38 years and enjoyed a large circle of friends and active social life that included golf, bridge and hosting legendary dinner parties. He worked in various roles at Carter Machinery for over 45 years and spent the bulk of his career as a salesman. Don counted hundreds of clients and colleagues as dear friends. He took particular joy in his children's athletic endeavors and coached Little League and served as the Co-Director of the Roanoke Valley Aquatics Association annual City County swim meets. When his children attended college, he became an ardent fan of the University of Virginia Cavaliers and the University of Tennessee Volunteers. One of his greatest joys was spending time with his three grandchildren and sharing stories and photographs of them with his friends. "Papa" was a truly special grandfather with a gentle heart that touched everyone who knew him. His grandchildren, especially Patrick, the oldest grandchild, treasured the time they spent together reading stories, throwing balls, watching golf on television and building blocks.
Don's special gift was his ability to make people feel comfortable and to build relationships. This was evidenced by the many friends who visited him in the hospital, checked in with the family and shared special memories of Don's childhood, career, church and social life. His circle of friends was wide and the family wishes to thank them for their love of Don and for all of their kind gestures over the past few weeks. The family would also like to thank all of the doctors and nurses in the Vascular ICU at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital who took such wonderful care of Don and provided comfort to Don and his family.
A family burial service will be held on Saturday, March 13, 2010, at Sherwood Memorial in Salem, Va. at 12:30 p.m. The memorial service will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church with the Reverends Dusty and Bob Fiedler officiating. The family will receive friends on Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at Oakey's South Chapel Funeral Home on Brambleton Avenue. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1831 Deyerle Road, SW, Roanoke, Va. 24018.