Truman Byron Thomas, 86, of Madison, Alabama, passed away on Thursday, September 11, 2025. He was the father of five children: Susan Thomas McDougal (Robert) and Douglas F. Thomas (Steffany) of Huntsville, Andrew J. Thomas (Randi) of Little Rock, Arkansas, James N. Thomas (Tina) of Savannah, Georgia, and David E. Thomas (Deborah) of Venice, Florida. He also leaves nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Truman Sanford Thomas and Susie “Irene” Thomas; his sister, Brenda Thomas; and his wife, Aelwyn Pughe Thomas.
Born April 13, 1939, in Jefferson, Georgia, Mr. Thomas graduated from Jefferson High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech University in 1960.
Mr. Thomas worked for several years at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville where he wrote software to support NASA’s Saturn V launchpad umbilical and hold-down arms. He engaged in advancing the mini-computer industry at its leading edge beginning in 1967 at Systems Engineering Laboratories and ModCom in Broward County, Florida. He served as the principal architect of operating system software at those companies until 1976. He then founded Omniware, his own consulting firm to the computer software field, which he operated for 11 years. He later joined Pressure Systems Inc. in Norfolk, Virginia, as a software developer supporting real-time operating systems. Upon his retirement in 2010, he returned to Huntsville.
A private graveside service will be at a later date.
Donations in his memory may be made to Huntsville’s local public radio station WLHR 89.3 FM.
