THOMAS, Dennis Wm. (1948-2020)

THOMAS

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 7/6/2022 at 11:34:07

Dennis William Thomas
(February 9, 1948 - December 11, 2020)

Dennis William (Bill) Thomas, 72, passed away December 11, 2020. Bill, the son of William A. and Mary Ann Thomas, was born February 9, 1948 in Des Moines, Iowa. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1966, the University of Pennsylvania-Wharton School in 1970 and Drake University Law School in 1977. Bill was an officer in the United States Navy from 1970 to 1972 and United States Naval Reserve until 1984.
Bill married Kay Neumann on September 24, 1977. They resided in Indianola their entire married life of 43 years and raised three children; Meredith, Will and Grant. Bill was an attorney in the greater Des Moines Area until his retirement in 2015. Bill was preceded in death by his infant brother William A. Thomas III, his parents, sister-in-law Mary Ann Stegman and her husband Gene.
Bill is survived by his wife Kay Neumann-Thomas; daughter, Meredith DeLeon along with her husband Jesse and two daughters Isobella and Colette, son, William N. Thomas along with his wife Crystal and three daughters Nora, Eloise and Caroline, son, Grant J. Thomas along with his wife Juliana; his brother, Tom J. Thomas; two sisters-in-law Jeanne Hemmel and Carol Zimmerman, and several nieces and nephews. Bill was also expecting to meet two new grandchildren in 2021.
Bill Thomas never met a stranger, only a potential friend. He was full of jokes, energy, and endless facts. He was happy to entertain, befriend or help whomever he encountered. To us, Bill was a beloved brother, husband, father and grandpa, and that was always enough. But that doesn’t come close to explaining who he was.
Bill was a hard-hitting attorney, lacrosse player, multiple champion youth hockey coach, storyteller, lecturer, avid reader, talker, historian, Navy sailor, hibachi chef, rower, the smartest person you knew, nickname giver, ISU super-fan, academic decathlon champion, dog lover, food juicer, sports announcer, flopper, Lollapalooza patron, salsa drinker, hat and jersey collector, purveyor of interesting facts, moustache guy, dancer, bonfire jumper, hammock enthusiast, funniest person in the room, a collector of worthless cars, harmonica serenader of cows, golfer, floor-bed maker, wearer of many hats, western singer, pinecone picker, swing guru and adventurer.
If you knew Bill, you have a Bill story. He led a fulfilling wonderful life and we are so happy to have shared him with all of you. We would like to thank the Village in Indianola for their compassionate care of Bill and concern for our family.
A private family Mass will be held Wednesday, December 16, 2020. Friends may join the family on our Livestream on Bill's obituary page of Overton Funeral Home's website beginning at 10:30 a.m. A Celebration of Bill’s Life will be scheduled at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Iowa Alzheimer's Association or Indianola Community Youth Foundation (ICYF). This memorial is provided by Overton Funeral Home, 501 West Ashland Ave., Indianola, Iowa, http://www.overtonfuneral.com/