Carnell Thomas Jr.

February 27, 1937 - January 26, 2022

Carnell Thomas Jr. was born February 27, 1937 in Washington DC to the late Carnell and Elsie Mae Thomas. Educated in DC Public Schools, Carnell graduated from Armstrong Technical High School and went on to become a master tradesman skilled as an electrician, mechanical engineer, and carpenter. Professionally, Carnell was certified as a Steam Engineer through the Occupational and Professional Licensing Administration (OPLA). He recently retired in September 2019, at the age of 82 from Kay Management’s Metropolitan Building located on Georgia Avenue, after 44 years of service as the Sr. Engineer. As the eldest of five children, Carnell illuminated a kind, generous and caring spirit--at the early age of 10, he acquired a job shaving ice to assist his mother in caring for his younger siblings. From that day until he retired, he was never without a job. As a young man, Carnell was a stylish dresser and extremely charismatic. This continued throughout his life, adding color to his style as the color palette was his playground, and hot red and pink were not off limits. Carnell loved to sing at a young age and could often be found singing in the neighborhood quartet with friends. Carnell loved spending time with his family and discovered the true meaning of unconditional love after becoming a father. Particularly, he enjoyed family gatherings where he would amusingly give an account of past events and showcase his comedic talents. After becoming a grandfather, his jubilant spirit reached higher heights and Christmas quickly became the most anticipated time of year. On Christmas Day he would haul several large bags of gifts to and from the car, ensuring everyone was recognized, to include visitors. He also enjoyed the family’s annual Father’s Day Bar-B-Que where he would eat, sleep a little, then eagerly await to assume his role as the designated watermelon slicer. Carnell exuded amazing ingenuity and used his creative talents to design intricate crafts, sketch portraits and build furniture. He passed this skillset to his recently departed eldest son Carnell A. Thomas. They enjoyed working on maintenance and installation projects together and would often consult one another when mitigating challenging engineering issues. Additionally, Carnell would financially and physically support his children at various church functions at the United House of Prayer for All People. It was not uncommon to see him in the audience playing a percussion instrument while observing his youngest son and daughter sing and perform during the McCollough Chimes’ Annual Harvest concert. He often attended New Year’s Eve Watch Night Services at the United House of Prayer, and on Father’s Day, he would procession down the aisle in a uniquely colored suit that stood out from the other fathers; however, that didn’t matter to him, he was a proud dad and wanted others to know it. As a further testament to his faith in God, Carnell would attend church services at St. Job Baptist Church with his sister Joan. He assisted with worship service where needed, sang on the choir, and enhanced the musical praises by playing and providing instruments such as tambourines and shakers to other members. Carnell loved assisting other members and volunteered to transport them to and from church. After returning home from church services and in his spare time, Carnell enjoyed relaxing in his recliner while watching old movies and westerns. His laughter, kindness and gentle presence will be greatly missed; however, the All-Mighty God loved him best.