Tommie Lee Thomas of Appleton, age 79, Wisconsin passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 27, 2026.

Tommie was born on the first day of spring in Miami, Oklahoma to Mary Elizabeth Thomas (Thompson) and Herbert Richard Thomas.

As a young boy, he raced matchbox cars in competitions. He turned his love of cars into a career - creating custom cars and driving all over the United States. He was a master with welding - he could turn a sheet of aluminum into anything needed for a custom car. He would spend months building a car to the specifications of the owner from the frame down to the trim. He loved working at Bump City and had many fond memories of his co-workers and the McDonald’s breakfast crew.

Noreen was drawn to his young-at-heart demeanor (singing along to songs with 90% of the words made up) and he won her over with his big heart and Southern charm. The two were married and Tommie soon found himself driving to Wisconsin each weekend after spending 4 nights a week working in Elmhurst at Bump City Auto with the best coworkers and boss he could have asked for.

Tommie was known for such sayings as “dirty bird” and was so proud of the Green Bay Packers Super Bowl win, he labeled them as the “World Champions of the World”. From then on, he wore a Packers hat and displayed a Packers flag from his suburban window while driving between Wisconsin and Illinois.

Tommie spent the last 2 years with his dog, Bubba at his side or on his lap. They were two peas in a pod. He thrived thanks to check-ins from his neighbor, Leah and regular phone calls from his brother Larry, his boss and friend Ron and fishing friend, Jack.

Tommie - we hope you are now fishing to your heart's content and spending quality time with Noreen and Bubba.

His request was to be “fed to the fishes” upon his death at his favorite fishing spots. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the CHERISH WISCONSIN OUTDOORS FUND.