David Gates Thomas

David Thomas, 92, of Rogue River, passed away peacefully on January 15, 2015 at home surrounded by family. He was the youngest of five children, born on June 9, 1922, in the Portland suburb of Garden Home, Oregon to John and Edith Thomas. He lived his youth in Garden Home. He graduated from Portland Evening Schools in May 1947. He attended Tigard High School and served as the student council president in 1941. He left school to work in the shipyards and to help provide for his family. He served in the Merchant Marines beginning in 1942. Among other jobs after coming out of the service, he drove a bus for Trailways. He worked for Borden Company selling milk, and he owned Umpqua Appliance store in Sutherlin, Oregon. But he took the most pride in and had some of his most enjoyable times working for Consolidated Freightways as a long distance driver. Some of our best memories of him came from listening to his stories from growing up in and around Tigard, serving as a merchant marine during World War II, his long distance trips as a truck driver, and of course, managing The Past Time and The Homestead. He loved taking trips with his family and friends and floating the Rogue and would reminisce about those times often. On August 21, 1953, he married Arline Ellinghousen and had one son, David Thomas Jr. He moved his family to Grants Pass in 1959, where he owned and operated at different times, a restaurant called Tops Hamburgers and The Past Time, a well-loved tavern in town. In 1964, he bought and operated The Homestead in Rogue River. He would move his family to Rogue River two years later in 1966, where he lived the rest of his life. He was well known in Rogue River, having owned and operated The Homestead for more than 30 years. He was known to open the doors of the bar early on holidays to accommodate those with no family. He is survived by his son, David Jr., daughter in law, Karen, two grandchildren, David III and Mackenzie and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Arlene, three brothers, John, Alan and Howard and one sister, Elizabeth. He had a life-long friend, Allen Cutler. They met each other in 1st grade, remained friends throughout their life and continued their friendship until the present. A graveside service will be held at Woodville Cemetery on Saturday, January 24th at 1pm. A celebration of life, with a potluck, will follow at The VFW in Rogue River at 3 pm.

Service Information

Saturday, January 24th, 2015 1:00pm, Woodville Cemetery

Interment Details

Woodville Cemetery