Thomas Michael (Mike) Thomas

Thomas Michael (Mike) Thomas passed away peacefully in his home to be with the Lord on January 27, 2013, after a year long battle with cancer. He was 75. Mike was born in Muskogee, Okla. and raised in Little Rock, Ark. where he attended Little Rock High School (now known as Central High School). He went on to attend the University of Arkansas where he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity and the Army Reserves. During college, he was introduced to his wife, the former Carol Anne Belmont, by his fraternity brother and lifelong friend, Jim Diffee. Mike and Carol were married in 1959 and recently celebrated their 53rd anniversary. Upon graduation in 1960, they moved to Memphis, Tenn. where they had two sons, Jeffrey and Mark. While there, he served in the U.S. Army at Fort Rucker, Ala. and was honorably discharged in 1963. After a brief stop in Blytheville, Ark., Mike and Carol moved to Irving, Texas where they had a daughter, Katherine. In 1967, Mike and Carol settled in Houston, Texas where, except for a short stay in East Greenwich, R.I., they have lived for over 43 years. Mike had a successful 22 year career at General Electric before launching his own business, Eagle Controls, in 1989. Eagle Controls was built on the relationships Mike had cultivated in the electrical industry where he established a reputation for integrity, honesty and fairness. For over 22 years he worked side by side with his son, Mark, who runs the business today. Mike was a loving husband, father, grandfather and brother who enjoyed his family, many friends and business associates. He was a crack shot who earned a sharpshooter's badge from the Army and was often taken along on duck hunts by his father and friends to ensure a good shoot. He loved a good time, a good joke and the Arkansas Razorbacks. Mike was predeceased by his parents, Michael Hale Thomas and Marvia Trammel Thomas, and his brother, Michael Paxton Thomas. He is survived by his wife, Carol; his children, Jeffrey, Mark and Katherine; his daughter-in-laws, June and Cindy; his grandchildren, Reed, Mary Claire, Paxton and Luke; and his twin sisters, Kathy Moss of Siloam Springs, Ark. and Susan Horner of Hot Springs, Ark. A funeral mass will be held Friday, February 8th at 11 a.m., at Prince of Peace Catholic Community in the Mary Chapel, 19222 Tomball Parkway, Houston, Texas 77070-3510. In lieu of customary remembrances, contributions may be made in Mike's memory to the University of Arkansas Foundation, 300 University House, 1 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark. 72701.