Thomas Earl Woods Jr., 72, passed away on August 11, 2026. He was born on December 3, 1953, in Frankfurt, Germany.

Thomas was preceded in death by his father, Thomas Earl Woods Sr.; his mother, Deloris Woods; Lydia Hopson; and his sister, Angela. He is survived by his son, Chris, and daughter-in-law, Michele; his son, Robert; his granddaughter, Jennifer, and her husband, Justin; his granddaughter, Kaitlyn; his great-granddaughter, Kyliegh; his brother, Norman; his sister, Sonya; and several nieces and nephews.

In his early years, Thomas lived just outside of Paris, France, as well as in New York City. After graduating, his father took him on a trip around the world—an experience that sparked a lifelong passion for travel, which he later passed on to his sons. Though it sometimes took a bit of convincing to get him to join family trips, (could be trauma from eating McDonalds for every meal one trip. To both of the boys getting lost on the same night in Munich) those moments together were always meaningful. He loved bowling and taught both of his sons to bowl as soon as they could push a ball down the lane.

Thomas began his career with Ohio Bell as a telephone operator. He later transferred to Kansas City with AT&T, where he worked in a data processing center, and eventually moved to Orlando, Florida, where he monitored mainframe computers. While there, he and his coworkers found joy in simple moments, even creating their own “wrist pad baseball” games in the office. In Florida, he developed a deep love for the beach.

After retiring, Thomas discovered a passion for poker. He built lasting friendships through weekly games and even competed in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, participating in the seniors events and cashing twice.

Thomas will always be remembered for the thoughtful and humorous cards he gave. He took great care in choosing each one, often selecting messages that were witty and just on the edge of appropriate—bringing laughter and warmth to those who received them.

He will be deeply missed and forever remain in the hearts of all who knew and loved him. Celebrtion information will be shared at a later time. Please keep an eye on Facebook for updates.