Merle Thomas

May 15, 1942 - June 06, 2022

Merle Thomas Obituary Merle would like to give a very special love to his Mother Pearl Thomas (Hassler), Father Ralph Thomas, Step Father Ralph Hassler, his siblings Gary Hassler and Connie LaBrie. He would also like to thank his Grandparents Herb and Jo Thomas, Ida White and Aunt Vi Dille who all assisted in raising him during his formative years. Merle attended Edison grade school, Libby Jr. High, Central Valley Jr. High, and a short appearance at Lewis and Clark HS. He met the love of his life Gloria Knight at Don's cafe in 1958 and they were married on January 18, 1960. He joined the Navy in October of 1959 and served on the USS Grapple stationed out of Pearl Harbor Hawaii. During their time in Hawaii, Merle & Gloria discovered the Baha'i Faith and the love of Baha'u'llah. This would change their spiritual life forever! Merle was honorably discharged from the Navy in May 1963. He and Gloria returned to Spokane Wa, to settle down and began a family. In 1966 they adopted their son, Brian and in 1969 their daughter Brenda, they made his life complete along with his grandchildren Jeremy and Natasha Boyd, and Joshua and Heather Thomas and two great grandchildren, Ayden and Weston Thomas. From 1963 to 1967 Merle worked for holiday pools, Boyd's Vacuums selling Rainbow vacuum cleaners, Kaiser Mead plant, Alsco Aluminum, NW building materials, & Great Northern Railroad. In 1967 he went to work for the US Postal Service and during his time there he discovered one of his favorite jobs was working as a philatelic clerk and there he promoted Stamp collecting in the Spokane Area. After retiring in 1998, Gloria and Merle went on cruises and stayed the summers at West Bay Park on Deer Lake. Merle is survived by his wife, Gloria Thomas, Daughter, Brenda Boyd, Son-in-Law, Marvin Boyd, Son, Brian Thomas, Daughter-in-Law Sharon Thomas, grandchildren Jeremy and Natasha Boyd, and Joshua and Heather Thomas, great-grandchildren Ayden and Weston Thomas, His brother Gary Hassler and sister Connie LaBire. � To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Merle, please visit our Tree Store. Read more Events JUN 18 Memorial Service Saturday, June 18, 2022 2:00PM Heritage Funeral & Cremation 508 North Government Way Spokane, WA 99224 Get Directions