Mark William Thomas

Mark William Thomas, age 60, passed away after a short but brave and fierce battle against cancer on Thursday, July 20, 2023. Mark was born November 6, 1962, in Brockton, Massachusetts to William and Elsie (Bois) Thomas. Mark is preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, William and Claire Thomas; his maternal grandparents, John and Mildred Bois; and uncle, William Bois. He is survived by his loving wife, Jamie Thomas; his son, Alwyn Thomas; stepsons, Zion Smith and Austin Moore (Kaylee LaFortune); parents, William and Elsie Thomas; brother, William John Thomas; sister, Lisa LaReine Fedora (Ken); sister-in-law, Jana McCoy; nieces and nephews, Zachary Fedora, Katelyn Fedora, Jeanne Wagner-Gordon and Lance Wagner as well as numerous great nieces, nephews and cousins who loved him dearly. Mark was raised and attended school in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Mark was a talented musician, able to play many instruments masterfully. He was a member of the Drum & Bugle Corp. as a teenager playing the contrabass and traveling throughout the United States during summer breaks as part of the Scarlet Knights and the Defenders. Growing up in New England, Mark enjoyed all the winter sports and activities including ice hockey, skiing and ice fishing. He served proudly in the Army National Guard in his early adulthood and furthered his education at Bristol Community College, Bay State School of Technology and MTI College of Business & Technology. Mark experienced several career changes (Goddard Memorial Hospital, Boston Whaler, iron worker, truck driver and butcher) before becoming a career Integrated Systems Engineer/Technician. He truly enjoyed his employment with Cook Security in California as well as Convergint Technologies in Texas. Mark was known for his loyalty, reliability and extremely strong work ethic, at home and at work, never leaving a job until complete, perfect and resolved. Mark's greatest joy was his son, Alwyn. Later in life, he met and married the love of his life, Jamie. Together, they moved their blended family of four from the San Francisco Bay Area in California to Marshall, Texas in 2016. Marshall welcomed them with open arms and along with a whole new family-in-love of Richard and Melinda Gaulden and their children, Sara Thompson (Jeff) and Charlie Wheeler (Matt). Mark was an avid New England Patriots fan, loved to cruise, was a master of the barbeque and loved having friends and family over to entertain whether it was a simple weekend in the backyard pool or his extravagant annual Rebel Lane Halloween display. He had a work ethic that was unmatched and a sense of urgency with things that mattered. Everything mattered! Mark was a helper, a giver, a friend, had a soft side that we were blessed to see and he had a love for family that was absolutely unwavering. To know Mark was to know goodness...he lived for others and he never let people down. He brought love and life to our family and our community that we didn't even know we needed...until Mark Thomas came into our lives. He was a member of the Marshall Elks Lodge and whole-heartedly loved the small town atmosphere that Marshall offered. Mark will be deeply missed by those who have been blessed by his life. The family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to Dr. Socoteanu, Dr. Hodges and Devin Brecheen at Texas Oncology, as well as the emergency room staff and third floor west doctors and nurses at Christus Good Shepherd in Longview. Their care and concern for Mark was exceptional and was truly appreciated. A Celebration of Life for Mark will be held at a later date.