Quinton Leroy Thomas

Quinton Leroy Thomas, 95, of Asheville, NC, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Tuesday, March 9 at the NC State Veterans Home in Black Mountain.

Born in Cleveland, TN, on March 14, 1925, he was the son of the late Rev. Leroy Thomas and Mary Elizabeth Thomas. In addition, Quinton was preceded in death by his siblings, Jessie T. Kirby of Lenoir, Donald Thomas of Granite Falls and Helen T. Hall of Swannanoa; and his son-in-law Mike Arnold of Snellville, GA.

Quinton was a wonderful husband, dad and grandfather. He is is survived by his loving wife of 70 years, Jeannette Jones Thomas. Quinton and Jeannette had two daughters; Diane Arnold of Snellville, GA and Sheila Miller (Gary) of Asheville, NC.

He is survived by four grandchildren, Chris Arnold (Holly), Kelly Arnold (Wes) of Snellville, GA, McKenzie (Jonathan) of Alexander, NC and Landon (Cheyenne) Miller of Leceister, NC.

Quinton was thrilled with his four great-grandchildren; Dylan Arnold, Madison and Claire, and Tyson Cade Miller.

He is also survived by several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Honorably serving his country, Quinton was a tailgunner on a B24 during WWII in the Army Air Corp. He made 43 missions and was stationed in the South Pacific. Later, he graduated from Blantons Business College and worked at the U.S. Postal Service as a clerk for 30 years. Quinton was a member of Oakley Baptist Church where he served as a deacon in earlier years.

The family would like to thank the caregivers and nurses of the NC state Veterans Home for their superb care given to Quinton during his illness. A special thank you to Georgia Crump for her love and constant words of encouragement. We also appreciate all the kindness from the front receptionist to the housekeeping staff and all the Doctors and Nurses who treated Quinton. They treated him with love and respect and kept our family informed with his condition at all times. We are forever grateful for what you have done.

Quinton will lie in repose in the Chapel of Groce Funeral Home Tunnel Road for anyone wanting to pay respects on Friday and Saturday, March 12 and 13.

Memorials may be made to Oakley Baptist Church, 70 Fairview Avenue, Asheville, NC 28803 or to Memory Care, 100 Far Horizons Lane, Asheville, NC in his honor.