THOMAS, ALAN WHEATLEY, 91

THOMAS, ALAN WHEATLEY, 91, of Cape May, passed away at The Shores in Ocean City, New Jersey on November 18, 2017. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio on February 28, 1926 to Daniel Lloyd Vernon Thomas and Bertha Lucille Wheatley Thomas. He spent his boyhood on a farm near Richfield, Ohio and was raised by both his parents and his maternal aunt, Nellie Blanche Wheatley. He graduated in 1944 from Richfield High School and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1944-46. He attended college at Bowling Green University and graduate school at the University of Michigan where in 1950 he earned a degree in Library Science. Alan spent most of his working years at the Free Library of Philadelphia, where he ultimately became Chief of Branch Libraries, playing a significant role in the expansion of the system and professionalization of its staff. After retiring in 1982, he settled in Cape May, New Jersey where he worked as a reference librarian in Cape May Court House. Alan cared about people, books, food, film, and theater. Over his 91 years, he traveled widely, planning and conducting numerous trips of a lifetime with family members and friends. For many of his friends and neighbors, Alan was a willing and compassionate caregiver during their time of greatest need. He touched the lives of a great many people, enriching them with his support, deep interest, and abounding love. Alan was a great man in the ways that truly count in this world: giving, understanding, humane, compassionate. His friends could always count on him to come to the rescue, smooth over a problem, provide exemplary advice, lend a shoulder to cry on and generally make things better. Everyone within his sphere benefitted from knowing him in countless ways. He brightened our lives. He is pre-deceased by his parents, brothers Daniel Lloyd Thomas, William Lawrence Thomas, a grandniece Marian McCaffrey Thomas, and many friends. He is survived by a sister-in-law Annabel Thomas, nephews Jeffrey (Mary Ann) Thomas, Stephen (Patty) Thomas, and Michael (Wendy) Thomas, nieces Jane (John) Bryant, Elizabeth Lantz, Katherine (Greg) Reese, and many grand- and great-grand nieces and nephews. He leaves behind many, many friends who will remember him with fondness and gratitude. Interment Richfield Cemetery. Memorial celebrations are being planned for a future time in both Ohio and New Jersey. Donations may be sent in memory of Alan Thomas to Richfield Historical Society, PO Box 215, Richfield, OH 44286. Condolences at www.radzieta.com