John Garrison Thomas

John Garrison Thomas was at home when he peacefully went to be with the Lord on November 14, 2025.

John was born in Memphis, TN on October 20, 1935. He was the eldest of three sons born to Eileen Noble and James Crendshaw Thomas. John graduated from Tredwell High School in 1953 and went to Baylor University. He worked for a land surveying company to help pay for his college and help support his mother and brothers. John married and started his family but did not get to finish at Baylor. He moved to Hamilton, OH and worked for his uncle, Bill Noble. While in Ohio, he earned his engineering license. In 1963, he moved his family to Houston and worked for Johnson-Loggins Engineering before starting his own land surveying firm. He had a real estate license as well, and he and his company were a large part of the growth and development in northwest Houston from the early 1960s until his retirement in 2014.

John's greatest joy came from serving the Lord in various churches in the Houston area and accepted a call to be Music Director at North Central Baptist Church. In 1971, he and a small group of men and their families started Northwest Memorial Baptist Church where he served as Minister of Outreach, Education, and Music. He lent his Irish tenor voice to many choirs, quartets, and the Houston Tidelanders. His children thought he was Mario Lanza. He loved to harmonize as he had a great talent to blend with other singers.

John and his wife, Barbara, moved to Lancaster in 2015 and opened The Tattered Jacket Bookstore on the town square where he loved visiting and sharing his love of the Lord and his love of history with all who came in.

John truly loved people. He enjoyed entertaining family and friends from watching March Madness to teaching bible studies in church or the bookstore. He passed on to his children his faith, hard work, and perseverance. Although he had many "irons in the fire," he always had time to participate in their activities.

John is survived by his beloved wife, Barbara; his children, Jim Thomas and wife Luann, Roy Thomas and wife Barbara, Crocket Thomas, Julie Davis Ratner and husband Dave, and Christopher Thomas and wife Jennifer; his adopted daughter, Kimberly Thomas Shaw; his stepchildren, Gregg Theiss, Jeff Jordan and wife Carla, and Mike Jordan; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A celebration of John's life will be at 2:00pm on Thursday, December 4, 2025 at First Baptist Church of Lancaster.