Charles Thomas Sr.

Charles (Shag) Thomas Sr., 82 of Danville IL passed peacefully at home after a brief illness. Born January 30th, 1938 he is predeceased by 8 brothers and sisters.

He is survived by his wife Leanna and children Charles Jr. and Mary, Vicky Lynn and Van, Audra and her husband Michael, Shadrach and his wife Sandy, Missy, Sean and his wife Angela and William. He is survived by his grandchildren Zachary, Matthew, Ryan, Kelsey, Sean, Alexis, Emilee and Kaitlyn. He is also survived by six great grandchildren. He was blessed by God to have never had to bury a child or one of theirs. Serving an enlistment in the army with the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles, he had more stories than there was time to hear but we could never hear enough. He retired as a journeyman millwright from the Tilton GM Central Foundry where he made many contributions and received several accolades for his inventions that helped protect others and improve productivity. His ability to observe a process and improve it earned him the moniker “Inventor of Sorts”. He often worked 7 days a week and never complained.

He was a beloved family patriarch with an insatiable curiosity and a love for life. He had an intense desire for learning and was never without a book or two in his hands. His later years were spent in his library affectionately referred to as his "Sanctum Sanctorum" where he was surrounded by his hundreds of books. His interests were as eclectic as one can imagine, and he loved to learn about everything. He had a gift for understanding history and a memory for what he read that was uncanny.

His passions included gardening which he did his entire life, looking for edible plants and absolutely loved hunting for wild edible mushrooms. Shag could often be seen prowling the local museums and hardware stores in his overalls which was his signature.

One of the cornerstones of his life was Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior and his unshakeable faith was developed early on and never subsided.

Services are Friday June 26th, 2020 at Kruger Coan Pape Funeral Home, 10 E. Williams Street, Danville. Visitation will be from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM followed immediately by service. Immediate family internment at Danville National Cemetery.

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