Obituary of William McKean Thomas

In the final hours of 2019, we lost our son, brother, grandson, nephew and friend, William McKean Thomas. He was 19 years old. William came into this world on March 27, 2000. While Boulder, Colorado is where he was born, Mendham, NJ is the place he grew and found his home. He was the younger brother to Nicholas and older brother to Peter. Beloved son of Ed and Tammy and a loving grandson of Bob and Anita Jacobson and Flor and Jim Thomas. He is missed terribly by his aunts, uncles and cousins. Blanca, Jorge, Jim, Nicole, Kya, Ailer, Susan, Jim, Isla, Lily, Lynn, Emily and Julia. He also leaves behind his bestfriend, Aunt Patti, with whom he shared a special bond. Through William we learned about the Autism community and tried to live a life of compassion towards people who think and behave differently. Being autistic is a lifelong journey of struggle, acceptance and perseverance. He tackled his differences head on but still struggled…like we all do. How do you make a teenager believe that there is no such thing as normal? In life’s journey, all you can do is your best. Throughout his short life, Will always loved with a pure heart and did the very best he could. William was passionate about so many things: animals, trips to Nantucket and Aspen, sports and his family. He always wanted to know how you were doing and what everyone was up to. He was everywhere all the time whether it was popping over for pancakes and conversation or just stopping in for a cold drink. His love and knowledge of basketball and football overflowed. The Denver Broncos were his favorite team because he never forgot where he was born. Focus, generosity, loyalty, innocence, love and enthusiasm are words that we use to describe this beautiful boy. A bright light danced throughout his short life. Oh William, how we will miss the glow of that light. Visitation will be held at Bailey Funeral Home, 8 Hilltop Road, Mendham NJ on Monday January 6, 2020 from 4-8 PM. All are welcome to join family and friends in paying their respects to this amazing young man.