Jerry "JR" Redmond Thomas, Jr.

Jerry Redmond “JR” Thomas, passed away on June 2nd, 2019.

Jerry, a fourth generation Texan, was born on June 14, 1934 in Ft. Worth, Texas to Mary Helen Redmond and Giles Robert Thomas.

He is preceded in death by his parents Mary Helen & Giles Thomas; his brother Giles Robert Thomas, Jr.; and one son Zachary Cecile Kempner Thomas.

Jerry is survived by his loving wife of 35 years Karen Nelson Thomas, and 3 children:

Taylor McCarthy Thomas; Ian Quinn Redmond Thomas (wife Zuhra Haleem); Eliza Kempner McIntyre Thomas Quigley (husband Daniel); stepson Justin Paul Nelson (wife Heidi Matus) and four grandchildren: Quinn Kempner Quigley, Kadin Redmond Quigley, Stella Andreas Nelson and Benjamin Arnold Nelson.

Jerry’s is also survived by one nephew, William Redmond Thomas (wife Laura Frances Griswold) and their children: Matthew Redmond Thomas, Katherine McIntyre Thomas and Sarah Anne Thomas

Jerry lived in Ft. Worth until he attend boarding school at St. John’s Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin. Upon graduation, he attended Columbia University in New York where he earned a degree in Business and General Studies; he also attended New York University (NYU) for graduate courses in business.

Jerry worked as an investment banker at JP Morgan, and then followed his interest in advertising, working for Ted Bates Advertising Firm and later as a sales executive for George Jensen.  Always interested in helping early stage companies, Jerry also played an important role as an advisor and investor for numerous entrepreneurs, starting 50 years ago in 1969 with Instinet, a company that pioneered electronic stock trading.   Even up to his passing, he maintained weekly calls with John and Diantha Bolling and Alex Sheshunoff, all who started as business acquaintances and became close friends over the years. 

Jerry lived in NYC for 18 years with his former spouse, Lyda Ann Quinn Thomas, & their four children before moving to Galveston in 1972.

Jerry was a leader in the historic preservation movement in Galveston and a founding member of the Galveston Historical Foundation. He formed Thomas & Co., a company that purchased and restored historic homes in Galveston. He was also an avid collector of American modern art, pre-Colombian art and much more. He had a keen eye and collected many American modern artists work while living in New York.

In 1976, Jerry moved to Houston and in 1986 married Karen Nelson Thomas. Jerry brought excitement, joy, curiosity and love to all of his friends and family, including his deep connection with Bill W. and Lois W.   

He was known for his unmistakable laugh, twinkling eyes and a smile that never ended. Jerry loved to travel and interact with different cultures and had an genuine love of others.

He will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be sent to Covenant Church in Houston, to their Building Fund (email finance@covenanthouston.org).

 A memorial service will be held at 4pm on Friday, June 14th, at Covenant Church in Houston (4949 Caroline St, Houston, TX 77004). 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Jerry "JR" Redmond Thomas, Jr., please visit our floral store.