Joseph F Thomas

Joseph F Thomas was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility. Joseph was born on June 17, 1929 at Home: 459 Barker Street, Toledo, Ohio 43605 in Toledo,Ohio. His parents were John and Elizabeth. Joseph was raised in Toledo, Ohio. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life. Growing up in the Thomas household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Joseph was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Joseph was raised with 3 Siblings. He had Older brother John; Younger brother Bill and younger sister Helen. Joseph was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Joseph and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Joseph was always consistently loyal to his family. As a young child, Joseph was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Joseph developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. In his spare time he liked Cooking. However, what Joseph enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends. Always considered to be a solid friend, Joseph was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Joseph was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Joseph to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Herbie. On June 11, 1955 Joseph exchanged wedding vows with Dorothy Lena Butt at the St. Joseph's in Fullerton, MD of Fullerton, MD. Compassionate and devoted to Dorothy, Joseph held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Dorothy and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy. Joseph brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Joseph was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Joseph was blessed with 5, 4 sons; Kenneth, Kevin, James and Steven; one daughter; Sandra. They were also blessed with 4 grandchildren, 1 great-grandchild (Alexander) with another great-grandchild expected in June 2012, Stacey, Kelley, Connor and Austin. Joseph greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Joseph enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Joseph was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was Baker. He was employed for Different Bakeries all over the Toledo and retired from the bakery in Baltimore. Joseph worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done. U. S. Marine Reserves and Active duty U. S. Army. He was in the Maryland. Joseph saw action for Korean War. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of Corporal. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Joseph seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job, and he understood well his role in serving his country. Joseph liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Joseph always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were Cooking and bowling. Joseph was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others. Joseph found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. Recreational sports included bowling. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were Any Sports - Notre Dame Football. Many organizations were grateful to have Joseph as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Joseph was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. Throughout his later years, Joseph was an active member of the American Legion Christ Dunberger Post#537 and St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. Joseph was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Joseph’s favorites was pookie - Sandi's cat who is 18 years old. When Joseph’s retirement finally arrived in 1987 Retired from the Baker's Union, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. In retirement, he found new pleasure in Staying active in Church. Even in retirement, Joseph continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled. Joseph F Thomas passed away on April 6, 2012 at Home 3504 Pickle Road, Oregon, Ohio. COPD and CHF. He is survived by wife, Dorothy; children, Ken, Kevin, Jim and Sandi. Services were held at St. Thomas Aquinas Church 10:00 am Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Joseph was laid to rest in St. Ignatius Cemetery, Oregon, Ohio. Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Joseph F Thomas. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.