Walter E. Thomas Jr

Walter Eugene Thomas, Jr., 95, of 125 Old Fort Road, Newport, RI, died Thursday, July 5th, 2012 in the home of his daughter Suzanne in Young, AZ. He was the loving husband of the late Laura Silvia Thomas of Newport, who passed away on October 2nd, 2006.Walter was born in Decatur, IL on April 3rd 1917, the son of late Nellie Viola Sawin and Walter Thomas. The family moved when Walter was 5 to Bell, CA where he grew up and attended school. He joined the Navy in 1934 when he was 17, and completed basic training in San Diego, CA. Walter was first assigned to the light cruiser, USS Concord where he completed 41 months sea duty in the Pacific as a Gunners mate through 1938. He was transferred east to Newport, RI and to the destroyer, USS MacLeish (DD220) as a torpedoman. From 1939 to the onset of World War ll, he was on the MacLeish on Convoy escort duty in the North Atlantic. The MacLeish also was involved in the North Africa Invasion. Early in 1943, Walter was promoted to torpedo officer and transferred to PT Boat Squadron (RON) 36 which trained in Melville, RI. Ron 36 was in the Solomon Islands. He was later assigned to the USS Cyrene (AGP13) to support PT Boats in the Pacific Theatre of operations in and around the Philippines. He was at the battle of Leyte Gulf.It was in Newport where Walter first met and soon married Laura Silvia Thomas on March 31, 1942 at St. Joseph's Church in Newport. With the close of the war, Walter and Laura were assigned to Chincoteague, VA, and were later moved to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where they lived for three years. Upon returning to Newport, they settled in the Fifth Ward and lived there for 55 years.Walter retired from the Navy in 1967 with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4th Grade after 31 years of service. He was selected to work for Naval Underwater Systems Center in Middletown as a Test Director for their ordnance programs, where he worked for 17 years until he retired in 1981.Walter was a life-long golfer, occasionally taking his clubs with him on trips. He was a regular at the Wanumetonomy Golf and Country Club, and played every morning with his friends. He was noted for getting in to the club so early that he would make coffee for the staff.The son of a pattern-maker, Walter was quite a woodworker making intricate wood ship models, furniture, cabinets, home renovations, and the occasional sail or motor boat. He applied those skills by doing volunteer renovation work for a local school. Walter was loved by all who knew him for his uplifting personality, generosity, readiness to help, humor, and his warmth which made him a friend to everyone, and as 'Uncle Tommy' to his extended family. He was a little league baseball coach, a Cub Scout leader, and a life coach to those in need.Walter had a close and loving family including five siblings, the late; Kenneth, Myron, Doris, David and Robert, all of Los Angeles, CA.He is survived by a son Walter Thomas III and his wife Donna of Charlestown, RI, a daughter Suzanne L. Thomas LeFevre and her husband M. Dee LeFevre of Young, AZ and a son Steven Thomas and his wife Beth Ann of Freetown, MA, and nine grandchildren; Abigail and Andrew Thomas, Laura LeFevre Schluns and Melissa H. LeFevre, Michael LeFevre, Tiffany Skinner-DeSouza , Walter Thomas IV, Shawn Thomas, 15 great grandchildren, and a beloved Uncle of many Nieces and Nephews in the Newport and Los Angeles areas. His funeral will be held on Saturday, July 14th, at 8:00am from the Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 9:00 am in St. Augustins Church, Carroll Avenue, Newport. Burial will follow at St. Columbas Cemetery in Middletown.Calling hours will be held Friday, July 13th from 4:00-8:00pm in the Memorial Funeral Home.There was a Funeral held in Young, Arizona, on July 10th, 2012, which was attended by family and friends he has there. Walter was adopted by the White Mountain Submarine Veterans who also attended. Cemetery Details St. Columba Catholic Cemetery Brown's Lane Middletown, RI, 02842 Visitation JUL 13. 04:00 PM - 08:00 PM Memorial Funeral Home 375 Broadway Newport, RI, US, 02840 info@memorialfuneralhome.com http://www.memorialfuneralhome.com Service JUL 14. 09:00 AM St. Augustins Church 2 Eastnor Road Newport, RI, US