Albert Henry Thomas

Albert Henry Thomas, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and retired city government administrator, died from natural causes on July 1, 2020 in Bluffton, South Carolina. He was 92 years old.

Albert was born on November 5, 1927 in Abbeville, South Carolina. He was the seventh of nine children.

Albert graduated from high school at age 16 in 1944. In 1948, he graduated from South Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in Biology.

Albert returned to State in the fall of 1948 as a graduate student. While serving as a lab assistant, he met Marian Hosey, a first-year student. The Korean War interrupted Albert’s graduate studies.  Albert served in the Army at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, making history by serving in America’s first de-segregated Army unit.  Albert married Marian on December 29, 1952, a marriage that lasted 65 years until Marian’s death.

In 1953, Albert and Marian moved to Detroit, Michigan, where they raised a son, Vincent, and a daughter, Pamela.

In 1954, Albert joined the staff of the City of Detroit Health Department. He worked for the City of Detroit for 44 years, earning promotion to the position of Deputy Director of the Buildings and Safety Engineering Department.

Albert and Marian moved to Sun City Hilton Head in Bluffton in 1998. They joined Lowcountry Presbyterian Church and volunteered to serve the church and to serve as classroom aides in the Bluffton Public Schools. Albert also served as a volunteer at the Bluffton Police Department and Bluffton Self Help. He participated in church and community men’s groups. He actively supported South Carolina’s Democratic Party. His favorite activity was traveling with Marian via car to visit Pamela, Vincent, and his grandchildren.

Albert is survived by his sister, Marian Frances Lane of Charlotte, North Carolina; his brother, James Thomas of Tacoma, Washington; his son, Vincent Thomas of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and his daughter, Pamela Thomas-Graham of Chappaqua, New York.

He is also survived by his brother-in-law Michael Hosey and sisters-in-law Melvea Hosey and Azalia Hosey of Detroit; daughter-in-law Barbara Thomas, granddaughter Mary Thomas, and grandson Michael Thomas of Minneapolis; son-in-law Lawrence Otis Graham, grandsons Gordon and Harrison Graham, and granddaughter Lindsey Graham of Chappaqua; and more than a dozen nieces and nephews.

Albert’s life will be celebrated at a Memorial Service at Lowcountry Presbyterian Church in Bluffton on Friday, July 30, 2021 at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, Albert’s family asks that donations be made to either Lowcountry Presbyterian Church, 10 Simmonsville Road, Bluffton, SC 29910; or Bluffton Self Help: https://www.blufftonselfhelp.org/donate-form ; or Berea College (Berea Fund and Annual Scholarships): https://www.berea.edu/give/fundingopportunities/