I, Warren H. Thomas, Jr., passed away on May 25, 2014, as a result of emphysema and COPD.

I was born on March 7, 1930, in Dayton, Ohio to Warren H. Thomas, Sr. and Margaret Evelyn Thomas. I spent my very early years in Cincinnati and Dayton, and then, in 1938, my parents, my brother and I moved to Xenia, Ohio. I attended McKinley School from grades 2 through 6 and then went on to junior high, which was housed in the Xenia Central High School building. Somehow I managed to pass the rigors of junior high and moved on to high school!

Looking back, I remember my time living in Xenia as extraordinary. At the time Xenia was a small Ohio town with good, decent people and friends that lasted a lifetime. WWII created an incredible sense of togetherness during my time in Xenia. The War was truly a time like no other in this country.

After graduating from high school I did a little bit of a lot of things until I enlisted in the Navy in 1950. I studied at Julliard, sang in the choir at New York City's Riverside Church, and attended Ohio State University. Certainly a well rounded education for something!

As I said, I entered the Navy in 1950 and was discharged in 1954. I trained to be an air traffic controlman at the Naval Air Station in Olathe, Kansas, and was stationed to work the control towers at several naval air stations and on the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown. It was a job I really enjoyed and met many interesting people in those 4 years. In 1952 I married Virginia Lenge and we had three children: Marla Mirabile (Sam) of Kansas City, Missouri; Lisa Poehlman (John) of Smithville, Missouri; and Stephen Thomas of Huntington Beach, California, as well as 3 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. Fortunately, they all survive me.

Unfortunately, the marriage ended, but a few years later I met and married Stephanie Smith, a wonderful lady who I had known for some time. Steph was an artist for Russell Stover. She had a quirky sense of humor, the very best laugh, and a thousand megawatt smile that lit up every room she ever entered. I was such a lucky guy. However, Stephanie had previously had cancer and it returned with a vengeance right after we got married. She passed away about a year later leaving me devastated, along with her wonderful family and all of her many friends.

In 1955 I began working for U. S. Rubber Co. (which became Uniroyal, Inc.) and it ultimately became a career for me. I retired in 1986 after 32 years of service. Just before retiring good fortune came my way again. I renewed a friendship with a woman I had known for 15 years, Marilyn Maley, who is a kind, considerate, beautiful and very patient lady. Six years later we married and I added not only Marilyn to my life, but her children Ronnie Paul (Adrienne) and Kristen Cheek (David). Then, in 1998, along came Kristen's little daughter Claire, who is absolutely the sun and the moon to Marilyn. All of them are really good people.

I can't put into words the loss I feel in leaving my family. Marilyn, you have been everything to me and please know how grateful I am. Always remember our motto, "never a dull moment". We had some wonderful times together and you enriched my life ten fold. Stephen, you are the kind of son any man would be proud to call his own. I will miss our chats, our "wings", even our disagreements, more than you know. To thank you for what you did for me at the end of my life can't be put into words. I hope I adequately conveyed to both of you just how much I love you.

Needless to say, I dread leaving my brother Rich and sister-in-law Joey. To sum it up, they are two of the very best people you could ever hope to meet.

Thanks to you all for your kindness and thoughtfulness over the years; and that includes the staff at the Overland Park Arboretum where I very anxiously awaited Spring for the past 18 years so I could begin my volunteer work mowing grass. The Arboretum is a beautiful place manned by beautiful people.

And we can't forget Pretzel! The cutest, sweetest, kindest, most loving, gracious, charming, sophisticated, educated, spoiled canine known to humankind.

May all your lives be filled with peace, joy, happiness, warm summer days and Big Band music. Love to you all. I miss you already.

A Celebration of Warren's Life will be on Friday, May 30th from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 PM at the Overland Park Arboretum, 8909 W. 179th Street, Overland Park, KS.

In lieu of flowers Warren requested that donations be made to Friends of the Arboretum in his name.