Niol Thomas

Niol Thomas, 89, of Earlham, Iowa died unexpectedly Wednesday, August 1, 2018 at home. A visitation will be held from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., Monday, August 6, at the Earlham Friends Church in Earlham with funeral services beginning at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow in the Earlham Cemetery concluding with a luncheon back at the church. Memorials may be directed to the Earlham Friends Church and online condolences may be left for the family at ochiltree.com. Niol Eugene Thomas, son of Wayne and Carol (Hoskins) Thomas, was born August 8, 1928, in Earlham. Niol graduated from Earlham High School in 1948, and joined the United States Army serving in the Korean War from 1950 to 1952. His marriage to Alice Taylor took place on April 6, 1952, at the Methodist Church in Earlham and to this union two children, Linda and Erin, were born. Niol’s early years were spent farming and in 1966, he established a Kawasaki Motorcycle dealership, first out of his garage in Earlham and later at two locations in Des Moines, selling out in 1976. After this he worked with Leisure Country in Ankeny, drove semi and worked with the car auction in Waukee. He was a life-long member of the Earlham Friends Church and the Earlham American Legion Post #158. Niol enjoyed camping, seeing the countryside and tinkering in his garage putting things together with his faithful dog, Jack always by his side. He looked forward to having coffee with his friends at Montross’ every day. He also enjoyed cooking and liked to experiment by adding different ingredients to the recipes he used. Above all else, Niol was a loving father, grandfather and loyal friend who cherished nothing more than the time spent with family and friends. Niol is survived by his daughter, Linda (Dan) Doggett of Ankeny, son, Erin Thomas of Earlham, two granddaughters, Lindsey Elese (Joe) Fischer of Minnesota, Chelsea Lea (Evan) Borkowski of Illinois, great grandson, Bennett Thomas Fischer, sister, Carolyn Huglin of Dayton, several nieces, nephews, extended family and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; his ex-wife, Alice in 2013, a granddaughter, Megan Thomas, brother-in-law, James Huglin and his dog, Jack.