James Dewey Thoes' Obituary
THOES, JAMES DEWEY (Jim, Grandpa, Uncle Jim), was born January 2, 1931 in Norman, Oklahoma and passed to eternal life on January 15, 2014 after a brief illness. He was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Thoes, in 1992 and is survived by his daughter, MeLinda Thoes; son, Tony Thoes and wife, Jeanne, and son, Roger Edward Thoes; grandchildren, (Chrisanna Looney and husband, Matt, Joshua Collinsworth, Dakota Thoes and wife, Alison, and Alyssa Thoes); great-grandchildren, (Zoe, Jaxon, and Jack ) In addition, numerous family and friends are left to celebrate his life and mourn his passing. Born in Oklahoma, Jim had a life-long love affair with all things University of Oklahoma and spent many hours working in his grandparents’ diner “The Brown Owl” located near the campus. Jim served in the National Guard (pre-Air Force) during the Korean War. He joined Texas Instruments as a Facilities Engineer and moved throughout Oklahoma and New Mexico, before settling in the Dallas area. He and Shirley raised their family in Garland and he continued to live in their home there until his death. He loved to create and could build and/or repair anything electronic or mechanical. He was the first person suspected when something “happened” in the neighborhood and also the first person the neighbors and family called to fix whatever needed fixing – bicycles, appliances, and even cars. His experiences gave him wisdom to help with the bumps in life as well as having the best stories. He loved military history, gadgets, electronics, stereos, music of all types – especially big band, and anything nostalgia. But most importantly, he loved his family and was known to always have a kind word or a joke to help ease the day. He had a dry sense of humor and yet was most loving and encouraging when times were tough. He loved a good joke and a good party. He and Shirley raised responsible, caring adult children who are passing these values to their children and children’s children. We are grateful for them all. After retirement from full time employment, Jim enjoyed consulting with various companies and as such, had many wonderful trips – most fun was to Germany. But in retirement, Jim also believed in giving back and served as a volunteer for the Caring Hearts Foundation at Baylor Garland from 1999 until just recently. He actually provided 13, 261 hours of service in that time. As a successful heart patient, it was important to him to share hope and encouragement to other patients as they were treated. He was very successful at this and has the relationships with other volunteers, doctors, nurses, and staff at Baylor Garland to show for it. We thank them for his care. Jim loved deeply and was in return loved by all who spent time with him. He will be greatly missed. Services are under the direction of Restland Funeral Home (www.restlandfuneralhome.com) at 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75243. Visitation with the family will be on Sunday evening, January 19,2014 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Restland. Graveside services will be held at Restland on Monday, January 20, 2014 at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Baylor Foundation (memo Garland Caring Hearts), mail to Baylor Medical Center Garland, Attn. Susie Tucker Volunteer Services, 2300 Marie Curie, Garland, TX 75042
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