Sam Austin Thomason, also known as Bumpy, 76, of Huntsville and Arley, AL passed from his earthly home into his eternal home on April 2, 2022 at Huntsville Hospital.
Sam was born to John and Elizabeth Thomason on June 22, 1945 in Montgomery, AL. After graduating from Sidney Lanier High School, he went on to study Building Science at University of Western Kentucky in Bowling Green and Auburn University.
Sam and Suzanne Pettus met as children and reconnected in 1966 at Auburn University. They wed in 1968, going on to have two children, Joseph “Jody” Thomason and Melissa Thomason Rogers. They established their permanent home in Huntsville, AL.
Sam and Suzanne spent their time singing in the New Song band at church, donating their time to community affairs and charitable causes, and serving in many capacities at First United Methodist Church. They were very involved with their children’s and grandchildren’s activities. Sam helped establish the REUNION band, which he enjoyed singing in for more than 30 years.
One of Sam’s earliest jobs was driving the children’s steam engine train at Oak Park in Montgomery at the age of 15. He worked with his father’s company during the summers in high school, college, and beyond building interstate highways. He transitioned into selling heavy equipment and working in the lumber industry.
In his later years, after becoming a widower, Sam met Debra Beard and they wed in 2014. They enjoyed many adventures together, including travel, church activities, and their lake home at Smith Lake, which became Sam’s favorite place in the world.
Sam was predeceased by his parents; his brother, John Braswell Thomason; his brother-in-law, Joseph Hagood; and his wife, Suzanne Pettus Thomason. He is survived by his wife, Debra Susan Thomason; his sister, Judith Thomason Hagood; his sister-in-law, Mary Jones Thomason; his two children, Joseph “Jody” Thomason (Kristin) and Melissa Thomason Rogers (Keith); his stepdaughter, Kaitlin Beard Drost (Travis); and his four grandchildren, Walton and Jackson Rogers, Carter Thomason, and Cecilia Drost.
A service will be held for Sam on Friday, April 8, 2022 at 2:00 pm with visitation to follow at Mount Zion Baptist Church, 228 Mount Zion Road, Huntsville, AL.
In lieu of flowers, Sam’s wish was for donations to be made to the scholarship fund at Steve Kaufman’s Acoustic Kamp, which he looked forward to attending each year. Donations may be mailed to Steve Kaufman, Scholarship Fund, PO Box 1020, Alcoa, TN 37701. Checks can be made payable to Steve Kaufman with the memo “Sam Thomason Scholarship.”
