Arthur Robert Thomas, a resident of Gloucester, MA, age 80, died Thursday, October 28, 2021, at Kaplan House Hospice in Danvers, MA. Mr. Thomas was diagnosed with acute illness, not Covid-19, just five weeks prior to his death. He accepted his severe diagnosis. “I find I am sane if I accept reality as it is.” He spent his last five weeks having friends and family visit him and contacting those he kept up with from a distance. Mr. Thomas was born in Toledo, OH in 1941. He attended high school in Loraine, OH. Mr. Thomas began college in TN but was not invested in his studies at that time.

He joined the Army in 1960. Over the years, Mr. Thomas had several careers and became a dedicated learner. In the Army, he served in Germany as a nuclear weapons technician. He also completed pharmacy training available through the Navy. Upon discharge, he completed college, studying philosophy and psychology. He moved to California, working as a smoking cessation therapist. He met his future wife, Elizabeth Thomas, in one of his therapy groups. They moved to Maryland to follow Elizabeth’s computer programming career and Mr. Thomas was hired into the same company, teaching himself computer languages and programming on the job. Mr. Thomas read extensively, usually, non-fiction, in computer sciences, religion, philosophy, Buddhism, political science, biography, biology, physics, chemistry. Upon moving to Gloucester, he was active in the Democratic Party, Arts Council, and “skeptics” club that gave knowledgeable presentations. He was a frequent commenter to the Gloucester Times on local and national issues.