douglas-thomas-10213465

IN LOVING MEMORY OF DOUG THOMAS

8/12/1975 - 5/29/2021



Doug was born on August 12, 1975 in Quincy and passed on May 29, 2021. Doug was loved by many and will be dearly missed by all friends and family.

The force we know as Doug Thomas came into the world August 12, 1975 in Quincy, IL to Bruce and Cindy. His younger years were spent close to extended family, as well as siblings Dawn and Cory; then they moved to Owasso, Oklahoma for a few years, then on to Wichita, KS. He attended Catholic school for several years, where he met Tiffany (in 7th grade!) He was active at Wichita South High School, and was recruited into the National Guard. He attended Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training while in high school. He followed Tiff to Kansas State ;) and joined ROTC. Shortly after graduating and being commissioned, he married Tiffany and began their Army adventure.
First stop: Germany. We so enjoyed learning the European "culture". Next adventure: Ft Sill for a few months, and first baby on the way! On to Ft Riley, buying our first house, and Mackenzie joining us. Added "bonus": deployment to Iraq, as the war began. After returning, we played the role of adults in a college town for bit, before moving on to Ft Irwin, CA. The National Training Center brought with it some fun times, and our second child, Brenden. Back to Ft Sill, OK we went, bought a house, and settled in for a bit. Next, time to head to Ft. Leavenworth KS for a (school) year; then assigned to Brussels, Belgium to work as an aid at NATO. More of the best adventures we've ever had. On to Ft Bragg, NC for battalion command, then Carlisle PA for Army War College (what we treated as our second go-around of college). And once more, back to Ft Sill to work in a job he loved. He was so fortunate to love his Army career and the people we met through it.

Doug was diagnosed just a year ago. He fought hard to find the right team of doctors to give him the best chance to continue living his best life. And it WAS a life he loved. He told all of us how much he loved us, and how grateful he was for the opportunities given, adventures taken, memories made, and people he loved and loved him in return. Please know how special each of you was to him and your lasting impact on him. Throughout the years he was lucky enough to experience a lifetime of friends, adventures, memories and love. Team Thomas will still continue on strong, with Doug watching over us.

NOTES:
Battalion Commander, 3-27 Field Artillery Regiment, XVIII Airborne Corps
Jun 2016 – May 2019

https://www.army.mil/article/172674/historic_himars_unit_changes_command