Obituary of Robert Joe Thomas

Robert "Joe" Thomas, 76, of 410 East Deep Creek, Bryson City passed away on Wednesday, May 11, 2011 at Memorial Mission Hospital. He was born July 30, 1934 to the late Harry John and Della Byrd Thomas. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his brother, Harry Lavon Thomas. Joe graduated from Swain County High School. He was a member of Franklin Grove Baptist Church. He owned his own business as a Sealtest distributor for 33 years in Swain and Macon counties in NC and northern counties in GA. Joe retired from Westcare, formerly Swain County Hospital, after 14 years of service. He was a Mason of the Oconee Lodge No. 427 A.F. & A.M. for over 50 years. He served several years on the Soil & Water Conservation Board in Swain County. He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, JoAnn Welch, a daughter Carol Elizabeth Thomas and a very special great nephew, Michael Leatherwood of Bryson City; two sisters, Marion Burgess and Betty Lou Grant; 5 nieces, 6 nephews, great nieces and nephews; great great nieces and nephews and a host of cousins and friends. A memorial service will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, May 14, 2011 at Crips Funeral Home of Bryson City, NC where the family will receive friends one hour prior to the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to one of the following or to a charity of your choice. American Diabetes Association, PO Box 1834, Merrifield VA, 22116-8034; American Heart Association, PO Box 78851, Phoenix, AZ 85062-8851 or American Cancer Society, South Atlantic Division Inc., Swain Community, PO Box 41912, Raleigh, NC 27629-1912. Condolences may also be expressed online at www.crispfuneralhome.org.