John C. Thomas

John C. Thomas of Ipswich died on March 10,  2022.  First, John was a family man and he will be missed by his brothers Michael and Peter, their former spouses Lisa and Kerry, his nieces Jacklyn and Whitney and his nephew Liam. John was preceded in death by his mother Marie Theresa and his father Clarence W, both were lifelong Ipswich residents. He had one surviving uncle Norman Gallant of Danvers, many cousins, many friends and many friendships.

John was also a sportsman, who served as an able assistant to Ipswich High School Athletic Directors Elliott Roundy and Arthur Carey. A career of over 20 years, ushering in many state championships and the implementation of Title IX, banning sex-based discrimination in school programs including athletics. John graduated from Ipswich High School, graduated from college, hired by High School Principal Joe Rogers and worked along with head football coach Jack Welch.
 

John was born with a severe form of Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita. He eventually was seen by doctors from and emitted to the Kennedy Hospital for Children, which is now the Franciscan Hospital for Children in Brighton, Massachusetts. Remembering this was before computers and modern imagining equipment. John went through many painful, cutting edge surgeries and full body plaster casts. These were life giving surgeries because with limb reconstruction John was able to stand with steel braces, work by sitting in an electric wheelchair, write and paint. These surgeries were to break bones, move ligaments, nerves, muscles, arteries and other tissue. Many joints in John's body were realigned and made partially functional. Thank God for medical miracles (even in the 1960s).

John attended the Winthrop School starting in the 4th grade through graduation at the “new” Ipswich High School where he began lifelong friendships with Elliott Roundy and Coach Welch. Mentioning only first names, his friends who came to often visit were Jack, David, Norman along with his faithful caregiver Joanne. John was a fan of the Boston Red Sox. He collected baseball cards, sports memorabilia and coins. He was the first in our household to buy and trade stocks. John's fondness for seafood and particularly fried clams was well known in Ipswich.

John deeply cared about women's sports following: soccer, basketball, field hockey, tennis and track. His television was always on and he watched hours of TV sports.

The family thanks everyone for the outpouring of affection and support.

On Saturday  June 4, 2022  at  10:00 A.M. there will be a memorial service at Our Lady of Hope followed by a celebration of his life at the Ipswich Inn. Any donations should be made the Franciscan Hospital for Children https://franciscanchildrens.org/giving/donate-today/  Assisting the Thomas family is the Morris Funeral Home of Ipswich.  To send a letter of condolence to John’s family please go to:  MorrisFH.com .

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