Harold was born 4 August 1924; died 14 January 1968 at the age of forty three (43).
He quit school in the eighth grade to go to work in the coal mines, in order to help give his nine younger siblings a better life. Harold was seventeen when he volunteered for the Army. He served in the Army during both World War II and the Korean Conflict.
He and mother were married 7 March 1946.
I remember my father as a loving, giving, kind person who took care of his family and the pets that we had with the same degree of love and care. There were pillow fights, water fights, and lessons taught on a daily basis. "Walk a mile in another man's shoes, before you judge him. There is good in the worst, and bad in the best." These are only two of the daily things that he told us children as we were growing up.
Harold was always able to see the silver lining in every storm cloud.This made us always look for the good in everything that happened - no matter how bad it seemed at the time. "What does not break me, makes me strong. If it does break me, I will be stronger when I heal. Because just like a bone is stronger when it heals, we are all like that and will be stronger once we heal."
When he became a mechanic at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, he earned the nick name of Tune Up Tom. The Tom was short for Thomas of course; but I had to ask about the Tune Up part. It seems that one day he was having a hard time with a tank, getting it to run and stay running.
Harold, who did not cuss and very rarely lost his temper, took a rubber mallet from his tool box and gave the part a sharp rap, "There," he said, "that should tune you up better." So, Harold became "Tune Up Tom", and remained so until his death in 1968.
What my father taught me as a child has followed me into my adult life. I try to: "Walk a mile in another's shoes, before I judge them. I try to remember that there is good in the worst, and bad in the best. Also to remember that there is a silver lining to every storm cloud." But first and foremost I try to remember that what breaks me, makes me stronger.
One day I may be as strong as my father, Harold Lee Thomas; and as strong as my mother, Ms Alberta, Edith Alberta Shoupe Thomas Brandon. I love and miss you both every day of my life. I pray that I can stay strong in my faith so that I may reunite with them both one day - when Christ, The Lord comes again. Amen and Amen.
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