Joseph Henry Thomas III

July 1, 1926 - September 9, 2015

Joseph Henry Thomas III passed away Wednesday, September 9, 2015 after a brief illness.  He had just celebrated his 89th birthday in July.  He was born in Greensburg, PA in 1926 to Mary Belle and Joseph Henry Thomas Jr.  He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Eunice Mehan Thomas; a brother, Richard and his wife Shirley; two sons, Brett and his wife Kathleen; Kent and his wife Susan; and by three grandchildren, Alexander, Zachary and Jennie Thomas.  He was predeceased by his brothers James and Walter Thomas. During his early days Joe attended a one room schoolhouse in Westmoreland County, PA where he exceled in his studies. Attending Greensburg High School, he had an insatiable appetite for knowledge devouring books, newspapers and any materials available. When Joe was not pursing scholarly endeavors, he worked in the family business. His grandfather, a German immigrant, founded the Joseph Thomas Florist and Greenhouses where he worked after school, weekends and summers along with his siblings. The business, founded in 1895, is still family run today. After graduating high school he enlisted in the Navy during WWII. He was assigned to a team responsible for the development and testing of electronics equipment for Navy aircraft. Taking advantage of the G.I. Bill, he enrolled in Columbia College from which he subsequently graduated in 1951. While attending Columbia, Joe met his future wife Eunice Mehan who he married in 1952.  Having worked in the mail room for IBM during college, he was hired by them upon graduation. He embarked on a 37 year career advancing to the executive ranks in areas including Sales, Advanced Systems Development and Legal. He retired from IBM in 1988.  He directly involved himself in community organizations, having been a co-founder and past president of the North Stamford Little League and past president of the Stamford Parent Teacher Council. He also supported many humanitarian and animal welfare organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the ASPCA among others, but his most cherished was The Stamford Museum and Nature Center. Closer to home he enjoyed the fauna in his backyard, marveling at their beauty and sharing his bounty with them. Joe was an extremely intelligent person with a voracious appetite for reading, current events, politics and sports. He was a good and decent man, a diehard progressive with compassion for the less fortunate. He was a devoted and caring husband; a loving father and grandfather.  Donations may be made in his memory to: The Stamford Museum and Nature Center,39 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford, CT 06903 or  www.stamfordmuseum.org .  Family will receive relatives and friends on Saturday, September 26th from 11am to 12pm at the Bosak Funeral Home, 453 Shippan Avenue, in Stamford, CT with a memorial service to be celebrated at 12pm. Burial will be private.   The Thomas family has entrusted the funeral arrangements to the Bosak Funeral Home.  If you would like to leave an expression of sympathy for the family online, you may sign the guestbook at  www.bosakfuneralhome.com  or visit the funeral home Facebook page at  www.facebook.com/bosakfuneralhome  to share memories with his family.