Joseph I. Thomas

Joseph Irvin Thomas, 65, of Fort Wayne, passed away on Monday, December 5, 2016 at home. Born March 18, 1951, in Indianapolis, Ind., he was the son of the late Buddie G. and Helen (Ortlieb) Thomas. Joe graduated from Roncalli High School and served in the U.S. Marine Corps for nearly three years during the Vietnam War. He was employed with Dana for over 30 years, from which he retired, and was a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church for over 35 years. Joe was also a member of the Friends of the NRA where he served as former President and current Vice President. Joe volunteered with the JROTC program at Concordia Lutheran High School for over 10 years and operated and assisted shooting leagues at Freedom Firearms on Wednesdays. He is survived by his wife, Margaret “Peggy” (Goebel) Thomas of Fort Wayne; sons, Kyle Thomas of Greenfield, WI and Keaton Thomas of Alexandria, VA.; sister, Sandy (Leslie) Jones of Hebron, KY; sisters-in-law, Cindie (John) Harrington of Fort Wayne and Janice Goebel of Lucas Texas; brothers-in-law, Dr. H. John (Kelly) Goebel of Fort Wayne, Dr. Charles (Kelley) Goebel of Frisco, Texas, and Joe (Kelly) Goebel of Fort Wayne; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was also preceded in death by his brother-in-law, Robert Goebel. Funeral Service will be 11:00am on Friday, December 9, 2016 at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 3425 Crescent Ave., Fort Wayne, with calling one hour prior. Pastor Mark Neubacher officiating. Calling will also be 5-7pm on Thursday, December 8, 2016 at Hockemeyer and Miller Funeral Home, 6131 St. Joe Rd., Fort Wayne. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Concordia Lutheran High School in memorandum of the Joseph “Daddy Joe” Thomas Scholarship Fund, please call Concordia Lutheran High School or go to http://www.clhscadets.com/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=322624&type=d&pREC_ID=731045.