Dr. Samuel Preetham Thomas

1957 - 2022

Dr Samuel Preetham Thomas, age 65 of Reno, Nevada passed away on November 13, 2022 after a brief illness. Born in Coimbatore, India on May 12, 1957, Sam lived a multicultural life. He spent his childhood and youth in Ethiopia. He attended college in Beirut, Lebanon and in Washington state. He completed a Master of Divinity at Andrews University and a Doctorate of Dental Surgery at Loma Linda University. As a dental professional, he worked for the Western Dental Corporation for 25 years.
Sam was a jack of many trades. He was a dentist, a fisherman, a lumberjack, an ex-canine officer, a published author and an ordained pastor. An avid scholar, he completed a PhD in Religion in 2004.
He was a member of the Fairmont Adventist Church in Lodi, CA, where he participated in preaching and teaching ministries. He was a passionate humanitarian, serving the underprivileged through dental missions, locally and globally. His latest project was to sponsor the education of needy African dental students through the National Association of Seventh Day Adventist Dentists or NASDAD.
These students will remain in Africa to serve.
Sam was a family man. He was happily married for 37 years. He stayed connected to his extended family. He is survived by his wife, Hannah, 3 sisters, Shoba, Shalini and Swarnam and multiple nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life will held to honor Sam on Saturday, January 7, 2023 at 2:00 pm at the Fairmont Adventist Church, 730 S Fairmont Ave in Lodi, CA. The service is open to the public.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to NASDAD.