William E. Thomas

THOMAS, William Eric, 19, of Follansbee, W.Va., passed away on Saturday, June 28, 2008. He was born on December 2, 1988, in North Little Rock, Arkansas, a son of William Bill Thomas of Follansbee and Bonnie Waugh Oughton Thomas of Weirton, W.Va. He graduated from Brooke High School with honors in 2007. He lettered in tennis and soccer and was a member of the OVAC Soccer Championship team in 2006. Eric was a sophomore at West Virginia University, where he was pursuing a degree in business marketing. He was attending WVU on the Promise Scholarship and also received the Mountaineer Scholarship. Eric was also taking summer classes at West Virginia Northern. He attended the Follansbee Church of Christ. Surviving in addition to his parents, are his paternal grandparents, Howard and Dorothy Rogers Thomas of Bloomingdale, Ohio; maternal grandparents, Eric and Catherine Kimmel Oughton of Weirton; maternal great grandmother, Violet Kimmel Weaver of Weirton; several aunts and uncles including, Carol Marshall and husband, Kenneth, of Burgettstown, Pa., Robert Thomas and wife, Kathy, of North Ridgeville, Ohio, Patricia Thomas and husband, John Murray, of Barberton, Ohio, Linda Vanerborn and husband, Henry, of Carrolton, Ohio, Cindy Jordan of Wintersville, Ohio, Allen Hammer and wife, Janet, of Steubenville, Ohio, Gayle Martin and husband, Michael, of Ashland, Ohio, Lesley Mullenbach and husband, Robert, of Canal Winchester, Ohio, and Joan Bucy and husband, Joe, of Pickerington, Ohio. Also surviving are many cousins; and many friends. Friends will be received on Wednesday, July 2, 2008 from 2-8 p.m. at the Mullenbach Funeral Home, 669 Main Street, Follansbee, where services will be held on Thursday, July 3, 2008 at 11 a.m.. with William Cooper and Jonathan Absher, Ministers officiating. Interment will follow in Oak Grove Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Eric Thomas Memorial Scholarship Fund.