Obituary for John Michael Thomas

John MichaelThomas Obituary

John Michael Thomas - pastor of The Bible Church of Port Washington in New York for 29 years - died on December 27th, 2024 in Lawrenceville, Georgia. He was 78.
Affectionately known as John Mike, Pastor Thomas, Dad, and Grandpa, he was born October 23, 1946, to Mary (Buck) and Robert Thomas and grew up in Ozone Park, New York. He graduated from high school in 1964 and enlisted in the Air Force, where he served honorably for four years. During this time, he met Donna Mounts, who he married on April 11, 1970. Through their faith they dedicated themselves to serving others, including fostering children. They began growing their own family in 1974 and were blessed with seven children: Nathanael, Karis, Jonathan, Hannah, Joanna, Leanna, and Anna Lisa.

In 1979, John continued to prepare for ministry by obtaining a Master of Divinity at Grace Theological Seminary. In 1982 he became the pastor of The Bible Church of Port Washington in New York, where he faithfully served for 29 years and helped establish Port Washington Christian School. His commitment to understanding and communicating his faith was further exemplified by his completion of a Ph.D. in Ministry from Bob Jones University in 1996.

John and Donna experienced immense sorrow with the loss of their two sons, Nathanael in 1997 and Jonathan in 1998. This grief was compounded by the tragic passing of their oldest daughter Karis to cancer in 2013. He was also preceded in death by both his parents Robert Thomas and Mary Bono, his sister Roberta, and her husband John DiBartolo, as well as many other loved ones.
In 2011, John and Donna retired and moved to Lawrenceville, Georgia. Despite many health challenges, he remained active in his local church, Gwinnett Bible Chapel, and spoke there regularly.

John is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years Donna Jean Thomas, his son-in-law Daniel Hartley, his daughters Hannah (Dave) Wiley, Joanna (Bryan) Lawless, Leanna (Paul) Graganella, and Anna Lisa (Brion) Hastings; and his twelve grandchildren: Samantha, Owen, Jason, Aiden, Emily, Oliver, Brooklyn, Reece, Lincoln, Noah, Dominic, and one yet to be born.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in John Mike’s memory to support the missions program at his church, Gwinnett Bible Chapel (3819 Five Forks Trickum Road, Lilburn, Georgia 30047, please note “missions” in the memo section) or Keys for Kids Ministries at https://www.keysforkids.org/Get-Involved/Donate1.