DoyleThomas

DOYLE THOMAS

Hugh Doyle Thomas, age 72, died of cancer Friday, March 20, 2009, at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas.

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 26, 1936, Doyle was the son of Hugh Marshall and Rose Crouch Thomas; they moved to Duncan, Okla., in 1940. He graduated from Duncan High School in 1954, then attended Oklahoma State University, graduating in January 1959 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. While in college, Doyle met Beverly Salyers and was immediately smitten.

Mr. Thomas worked as a Production Engineer for Texas Instruments in Dallas. He was then hired by Temco as an Electronics Design Engineer, and worked for its successive companies for 35 years in Greenville and Garland, Texas, and in Taiwan from 1963 to 1965. Mr. Thomas retired from the Garland Division of E-Systems in May 1993 as an Engineering Manager (of really secret high-tech projects).

He joined the 45th Division of the Oklahoma National Guard in 1952; in 1959 he transferred to the 36th Division of the Texas National Guard. His unit was called to active duty in 1961 during the Berlin Wall crisis; He was honorably discharged in 1962.

Mr. Thomas was a member of Crestview Christian Church. During his 49 years, he was: Sunday School Teacher; Youth Group Sponsor; Deacon; Trustee; and Church Board member, serving terms as Chairman and Treasurer. He was an Elder for more than 25 years. Doyle was well known for preparing large quantities of sausage-gravy and biscuits at the men’s breakfasts.

He assisted his wife when she started and ran "Young Fashions," a retail clothing store for pre-teen girls, from 1969 to 1972.

Mr. Thomas formed Thomas Business Services in 1966, doing individuals’ income taxes and billing for small businesses until 2008 when he became ill.

Doyle was a Boy Scout. He joined Greenville Masonic Lodge #335 in 1960, later becoming a 32^nd Degree Mason. He was a member of the Hunt County Republican Men’s Club for many years, and served as Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and County Election Judge.

Doyle enjoyed playing all kinds of games: lawn games; card games such as Bridge and Texas Canasta; board games; and computer games. He also liked playing with children and grandchildren, building and fixing things, gardening, eating pie and ice cream, and tinkering.

With his mother, he traced the family back to the year 760. Family and genealogy were important to Doyle: he never minded driving long distances to visit or do research, and was considered to be a great storyteller.

Mr. Thomas is survived by his wife of 52 years, Beverly Jean (Salyers) Thomas; two daughters, Carla Narramore and husband Jim of Greenville and Andrea Thomas Foote and husband John of Bernardsville, NJ; five grandchildren: granddaughters Jamie Narramore Wilson and husband John of Bedford, TX, and Kelly Narramore of College Station, TX; and triplet grandchildren John Thomas, Laura Elizabeth and David Christian Foote, all of Bernardsville, NJ. He is also survived by two sisters, Mina Field and husband Harold of Justin, TX, and Gail Loafman and husband Jerry of Duncan, OK; three nieces, five nephews, close family friend Michael J. Wagner, and many cousins, aunts and uncles.

Visitation will be Monday, March 23, 2009, from 6 to 8 pm at Coker-Mathews Funeral Home in Greenville, Texas. Services will be held Tuesday, March 24, 2009, at 3:30 pm at Coker-Mathews Funeral Home, with interment at Forest Park Cemetery.