John Evan Thomas

John Evan Thomas was born Nov. 10th, 1969, to Bonnie Dow and John Sherman Thomas in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Although John didn’t always recognize it, his life was truly a blessing to those around him. To say that John was a ray of light would be telling a half-truth – it would be more accurate to describe John’s presence as a resonant melody.

John spent the majority of his childhood in Enid playing football and hiding the fallout of his weekly mischievous antics from his father. John graduated from Enid High School in 1988. After graduating, John moved to Norman, where he enrolled at the University of Oklahoma. John loved OU football. John loved OU football so much that he opted out of graduation for a few extra years just to stick around for it. John went on to graduate from OU with degrees in psychology and management information systems. Sometime around this period in John’s life, he became a published poet. In 2001, he became a proud father.

John believed that he was fortunate enough to be given God’s grace three times throughout his life: the first during his battle with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in his teens, the second after a car accident in his twenties, and the third with a heart transplant in his forties. John found comfort in this belief, because to him, his life wasn’t supposed to extend much further than the age of 18. John felt at peace during the final stage of his life knowing the legacy that he had left.

John’s faith played a major role in the latter part of his life. John was baptized on June 23, 2024. John took fulfillment from his home church group who helped him along a journey to find his faith and accept Jesus Christ as his lord and savior.

Some of the things that John held closest to his heart(s) included: his music, his brothers in the Delta Upsilon fraternity, his OU football, his family heritage, the three-legged cat he named “Three” and begrudgingly allowed to take refuge on his front porch, and his son Gavin.

John Evan Thomas passed away peacefully on the evening of December 5th, 2025, while embraced by his loved ones. John is reunited in heaven with his father John Sherman Thomas, his grandfather Sherman Evan Thomas, sister Charlotte, aunt Mary Seely, and his long-time friends Brent Cambron and Eric Thompson. John’s echo did not fade with him and will be carried through time in the hearts of his mother Bonnie, son Gavin Sherman Thomas, cousins Doug Seely and Ashley Baker, aunt and uncle Mary and Campbell Gillespie, uncle Jerry Seely, sisters Jennifer Lee and Stephanie Martin, niece Elizabeth Roberts, nephew Adam Rainbolt, friends Andrea Metcalf and Kresta Logan, and so many others.

Those who would like to celebrate John’s life are invited to a come-and-go gathering at his favorite local haunt. A memory book will be onsite for you to share a message or story and include a picture if you would like. All are welcome to attend and remember John.

2 to 5 p.m.  Saturday, December 13 At Bin 73 7312 N. Western Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73116

Memorials may be made in his honor to the John Evan Thomas Memorial Bench Fund with Brown-Cummings serving as custodian of funds.

Condolences and special memories may be shared with the family online at www.BrownCummings.com.