Jerry Lee Thomas

Jerry Lee Thomas was born December 2, 1948, in Coeburn, Virginia to Virgie Macie and John Fletcher Thomas and passed away on Friday, June 30, 2017, at Bristol Regional Medical Center surrounded by his family and friends.

He attended Tennessee High School, where he graduated in 1967, and went on to attend the University of Tennessee, where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.

Jerry Lee enlisted in the United States Army in December 1969, serving in the Military Police Corps. After honorable discharge, he returned to Bristol and attended East Tennessee State University, where he received his B.S. in Biology.

As the manager of the Bristol Water Filtration Plant, he helped design and managed the construction of the facility. He eventually moved to a job as an environmental specialist in Sarasota County, Florida. Following his retirement, he relocated to Abingdon, Virginia in 2014.

Jerry Lee was a great talker and avid storyteller, regaling friends, family, and grandchildren with stories and anecdotes. He loved bodies of water, making a home in Siesta Key and later retiring to the Wyldwood Subdivision of Holston Lake. He made a wonderful community of friends everywhere he lived.

Jerry Lee is survived by wife, Susan Fletcher Thomas; his children, Leah Thomas Rice and Todd Thomas, and daughter-in-law, Becky Thomas. He was devoted to his grandchildren Eliza, Adeline, and Ellie Rice and David and Olivia Thomas. He was beloved by his nieces and nephew, Ashlee Humphreys, Kimberly, Paige, and Hunter Thomas; and sister-in-law, Kathleen Thomas. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Peggy Evans; and brother, Ival Ray Thomas.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 7, 2017, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 124 E. Main St., Abingdon, Va. 24210, with the Rev. Boyd Evans officiating. A reception will follow in the fellowship hall of St. Thomas Episcopal Church. The committal service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, July 7, 2017, at Temple Hill Memorial Park, 2529 Memorial Dr., Castlewood, Va. 24224, with military honors provided by the VFW Honors Team and the Virginia National Guard.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association, 55 W. Wacker Dr., Suite 1150, Chicago, Ill. 60601 or www.lung.org.

Those wishing to express sympathy online may do so by visiting www.farrisfuneralservice.com and signing the online guestbook. The family of Jerry Lee Thomas is being cared for by Farris Funeral Service and Crematory, 427 E. Main St., Abingdon, Va. 24210 (276-623-2700).