so one person sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17
Ivan K. Thomas was born on August 15, 1959 in Japan to the late retired TSGT Robert A. Thomas and the late Muriel L. Thomas. His father was in the military and they lived in Japan, California, North Dakota and Texas. After his father’s retirement, Texas became home. He graduated from Oliver Wendell Holmes High School in 1977. Shortly after, he enlisted in the United States Air Force. He graduated from Basic Military Training with High Honors and Small Arms Expert Marksmanship. Some of the medals Ivan received were, the Air Force Good Conduct, Meritorious, Achievement, Commendation, and National Defense Service Medals. During his first assignment at HAFB in Massachusetts, he grew to love the snow and cold and learned to ski which he loved. There he met and married Yvette Parker the mother of his two daughters, Ayesha and Tamieka Thomas. In 1992 he rededicated his life to Christ and became an active member of the church. He served his country for 20 years and received numerous honors and retired as a TSGT in 1997. Soon after Ivan began working for the US Federal Courts as an IT Specialist in San Antonio, TX until his death. In 2013 he received a Bachelor’s of Art and Science from Texas State University. At the time of his passing, he was receiving his Masters in Divinity at Wayland Baptist University. In 2014 he married his wife Odessa Dixon (Thomas) and built a loving relationship with her and her four children (Larance, Adrian, Chelsea and Jada). Ivan was an avid Dallas Cowboys fan, he enjoyed prison ministry, reading, listening to Black Eagle with Joe Madison, and loved political conversations with D.C Lanier and Curtis Collins. Ivan spent countless hours being a mentor, counselor, advocate, father figure, great listener and providing words of encouragement and support to all who crossed his path. He was in the youth ministry at New Creation Christian Fellowship and True Vision Church for over 20 years. He is survived by his sister Crystal Thomas of Fayetteville North Carolina, his wife Odessa Dixon (Thomas) and her children of San Antonio, TX, his two children Ayesha and Tamieka from Boston and Lowell, MA, his niece Tanea Thomas of Fayetteville, North Carolina, his three grandchildren Xavier Thomas and Nevaeh DeJesus of Lowell, MA and Robert Thomas from Boston, MA, his goddaughter Sonia Guzman of Joplin, Missouri, his 6 grandnieces and nephews from Fayetteville, North Carolina, his best friends from high school, Ruth Markey Guzman of Missouri, David Oliver, Gloria Vasquez Fivel, and a really great friend of his from New Creation Church Jeff Regge all of San Antonio, TX. Ivan will be greatly missed by an overwhelming amount of family, friends, and his church True Vision.
