Robert Hume Thomason passed away on November 10, 2020 at the age of 92.
He leaves behind his loving wife the former Jane Mathers Toy, Daughters Katherine Mathers and Carolyn Black, Granddaughter Melanie Lynne, Great Granddaughters Anya Lyn and Kailyn Jade, Son In Laws Johnny Warner, Michael Wich and Edwin Lopez.
Robert was born on December 29, 1927 to Otey Hume and Margaret Black in Brooklyn, NY. He was raised in Forest Hills. His family moved to Flemington, NJ where he attended high school.
He joined the army at the end of WWII and served in Panama. With assistance from the GI Bill, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in North Carolina and received a BA in Social Studies / Education. He was also a graduate of Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut and became an ordained minister with church’s in Pemberton, Ohio and East Hartford, Connecticut. His third and final degree was from the Columbia School of Library Science in Manhattan in Library Science. He worked as a Reference Librarian at the Hewlett Woodmere Public Library in Nassau County, NY and more often than not, rode his bicycle from Brooklyn to Hewlett.
Bob and Jane met in her home town of Springfield, Ohio in 1960 when Bob was working in the Settlement House. After a very short engagement, they were married on June 12, 1960.
Bob was a staunch democrat and worked tirelessly for social justice. He founded The Prospect Lefferts Garden Neighborhood Association (PLGNA) after the death of Martin Luther King to create an integrated neighborhood. In 1974 they bought the three family home where Jane still resides. The family attended Judson Memorial Church. He was an avid bicycle rider and loved swing jazz music.
Upon his retirement in 1985, he planned a 6 month bike trip from New York to San Diego and when this was completed in late 1985, he looked at the Pacific Ocean and knew one day he would ride through China and Japan. In the coming years, he rode his bike through China 1987, The Netherlands 1989, France 1992, Thailand 1993, 3 trips to Japan and 3 trips to Germany among other European countries. His final trip was Austria. Jane would meet him at several points during most of these trips.
Robert leaves us after a long struggle with dementia and complications from Lewy Body. He will be cremated and interred at the Westford Hill Cemetery, a family cemetery, in Ashford, Connecticut.
His exuberance, joy, love of life, family and friends, will continue long after the pain of saying goodbye subsides.