Vernon Thomas

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 

   2 Timothy 4:7

Vernon Thomas,  69 of Suffolk, Virginia passed away peacefully in his home on October 23, 2023, after a valiant battle with cancer.  He was the son of the late Alexander Thomas, Sr and Mary M. Copeland, and brother to two late sisters: Izora Thomas, and Evangelist Dianna Harris.

Affectionately known as “Berme,” Vernon was a US Air Force veteran, a civil service retiree, and a retiree of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1408.

Vernon was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and reared in the Twin Pines section of Portsmouth, VA.  He resided in Florida from 1989 until September 2022.  He maintained dual membership at Grove Church, as well as The Sanctuary @ Mt. Calvary Church in Jacksonville, FL under the leadership of Pastor John Newman.   At The Sanctuary, he served on the Deacon Board as well as various other ministries.  He loved the Lord and was quite vocal about it.

Berme was one of the kindest people you would ever meet.  He appreciated and respected everyone and would engage in conversation with strangers at length, as if he had known them forever.  He LOVED family and valued friendships.  Practically every cousin regarded him as their favorite; every niece and nephew viewed him as their favorite uncle.  

Vernon was a sports enthusiast, and a self-described “natural born athlete”.  While residing in Jacksonville, he was an active member of a baseball team… playing and competing with men 20 to 30 years his junior.  His passion was golfing, and prior to his illness he golfed several times a week.  He enjoyed dancing and most genres of music.  He has traveled extensively both within the U.S., and Internationally.  

On October 1, 2021, Vernon met Sherry Townsend for the first time.  On February 3, 2022, he proposed to her, and after a short engagement, they married on September 24, 2022.  He referred to her as “The Love of his Life, and the best thing that has ever happened to him.”  Although their union was short-lived, they enjoyed spending time together, and loving on each other.  

He leaves to cherish his memory: his loving wife, Sherry Thomas; his son, Vernon Thomas; and two daughters Kesha Murphy (Curtis), and Kelli Thomas.  His sisters: Constance Patillo, Dorothy Littles, Beverly McKinney (William), and Min. Stephanie Williams (Boise); his brothers:  Alexander Thomas, Jr (Carolyn), Lawrence Thomas (Beverly), Nathaniel Thomas (Kyoko), and Jerry Martin (Joyce);  his uncles:  Bishop Nathan Thomas, Supt. Leslie Thomas, Walter Thomas, and Russell Jordan; his mother-in-law: Queenie Townsend; sister-in-law: Melanie Townsend-Hinton (Clayton); brothers-in-law: Pastor Darrell Townsend (Kim), James Townsend, Craig Townsend, and Brian Townsend; aunts-in-law: Annie Mann, Deloris Goodwin, and Margaret Townsell.  Seven grandchildren, and 12 great grandchildren.  A host of nieces, nephews, family members, and friends.  Two very special friends: Harry Hallback, and Harold Sanders, of Jacksonville & Tampa, FL respectively.

A celebration of life service will be held 11:00am, Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at Grove Church, 5910 West Norfolk Road, Portsmouth, VA. The interment will be 2:00pm at Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery, 5310 Milners Road, Suffolk, VA 23434. Professional services with dignity have been entrusted to Crocker Funeral Home, Inc.