Gregory L. "Greg" Thomas

1952 - 2010

Mr. Gregory L. "Greg" Thomas, 58, passed away at home on Sunday, September 19, 2010 surrounded by family and friends. The cause was complications from brain cancer.
Funeral services are to be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 22, in the Copan United Methodist Church . Tari Carbough, Pastor of the Copan United Methodist Church will be the officiant. Committal prayers and interment will be directed in the Dewey City Cemetery by the Arnold Moore - Dewey Funeral Service.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested contributions to M. D. Anderson Cancer Center , P. O. Box 4486 , Houston , TX 77210-4486 , Hope Hospice, 8291 N. Owasso Expressway, Owasso , OK 74055 or Copan United Methodist Church , 120 N. Maple, Copan , OK 74022 .
Greg was born in Bartlesville , Oklahoma on February 9, 1952, the son of Warren Milner Thomas and Amy Lee Hill Thomas and attended Bartlesville public schools. Greg graduated from Bartlesville College High School in 1970 where he excelled in the sports of wrestling, football and track and field. During his senior year Greg won the Oklahoma State Championship in hurdles. After graduating from Oklahoma State University in animal sciences in 1974, Greg held several jobs before being employed at the Phillips Petroleum Pilot Research Plant in Bartlesville followed by a career in the Chemistry Department at Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, from which he retired after thirty years of service in 2007.
Greg married Sue Roth Knight in 1986 in Copan , OK , and raised their three sons, Lance, Luke and Troy at their home in Dewey. Greg's rich and active life was devoted to family, foremost, and to his enjoyment in sports and in the outdoors. Greg was a loving husband, father and grandfather whose greatest joy was being with his family and involvement in the activities of his children and grandchildren. Greg continued his lifelong participation in sports, winning third in hurdles in the Oklahoma State Senior Olympics in 2007. Greg was also an enthusiastic supporter of the Dewey Bulldoggers and actively participated in Bulldogger sports as a volunteer coach helping local athletes improve their skills in track. In honor of his contributions, Greg was awarded the Lifetime Bulldogger Award in 2009 from Dewey High School . Greg had a lifelong love of the outdoors and wildlife and besides hunting and fishing, raised several breeds of dogs in the kennels he built at their home in Dewey. Most recently, Greg raised beagles specialized for hunting rabbits and participated in competitions by organizations such as Ducks Unlimited and the Lavaca Beagle Club, where Greg's dogs won first place in 2009. As an artist, Greg enjoyed painting wildlife and Western scenes, one of which was auctioned at a fundraiser for Ducks Unlimited.
Greg was well liked by all for his thoughtfulness, generosity, humor and strong ethical guide with fairness for all people without pretense. Despite having an incurable illness, Greg maintained these qualities, especially his strong sense of humor throughout and will remain a model for all of those who survive him.
Greg is survived by his wife, Sue; and by their three sons and their families; Lance and Angel Knight of Bartlesville, OK, Luke and Amanda Thomas of Bartlesville, OK, and Troy Thomas of Stillwater, OK; grandchildren Mia Knight and Hunter Thomas; father, Warren Thomas of Houston, TX; brother, David and Barbara Thomas of Houston, TX; sister, Nancy and Bob Farmer of Bartlesville, OK; mother-in-law Martha Roth of Copan, OK; sister-in-law, Brenda and David Farmer of Dewey, OK; and brother-in-law, Dan Roth of Copan, OK; nieces, Laura Thomas, Sarah Hamel and Jamie White and nephew, Tom Farmer. Greg was preceded in death by his mother, Amy Thomas, and father-in-law, Bud Roth.