December 15, 2021 - OBITUARY FOR NICHOLAS B. THOMAS

Nicholas B. "Nick" Thomas passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 11,
2021 at his home in Blue Bell, PA at the age of 88. He was born on May 27, 1933,
in Sharon, PA to the late Nicholas and Mary (Biligan) Thomas, Romanian
immigrants looking for a better life in America. Nick graduated from Holy Cross
College in 1955 (the first member of his family to do so), where he participated in
the ROTC program.
Upon graduation he served honorably in the United States Air Force as an F-86 jet
fighter pilot in a top-secret squadron associated with the development of the
United States Air Defense Command System in Bedford, Massachusetts. While
there, he was recruited to join the Air Defense Command Basketball Team
stationed at Stewart Air Force Base in Newburgh, NY where he starred as a guard,
served as an Air Traffic Controller, and in 1959 married the love of his life. At the
conclusion of his military service in 1960, he spent another eight years as a pilot in
the Pennsylvania Air National Guard.
Much of his post-military career was in the Life Insurance business, first as an
Assistant Manager with New York Life and then as Regional General Manager for
Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company. He served for two years as President
of the Montgomery County Life Underwriters Association. In 1981 Nick and his
wife Liz founded Chalif Inc., an award-winning condiment company that grew to
international distribution over a ten-year period. In 1983 Chalif Hot 'n Sweet
Mustard won the Domestic Fine Food Award from the National Association for
the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT). In 1992 the Thomas' established Thomas &
Company to provide consulting services and seminars for other gourmet food
companies. When Liz's brother died in 2008, they founded the Bruce
Montgomery Foundation for the Arts, in his honor, to give annual Springboard
Grants to talented young artists pursuing excellence in the Performing Arts. Nick
served as treasurer of the Foundation until his death. Despite his successes and
accomplishments, his top priority was the love of his family, and he adored each
and every one of them until he drew his last breath.

Nick loved music of all genres. His favorite recording artists were Frank Sinatra,
Ella Fitzgerald and James Taylor. During the past year there were many Saturdays
when he would sit in his reclining chair, with his eyes closed, listening intently to
the Metropolitan Opera broadcast on PBS. But his greatest enjoyment (after
golf!) came as a singing member of the Gilbert & Sullivan Players of Philadelphia,
where he also served as Business Manager for ten of those years. He treasured
the friends he and Liz made there, and the two trips they made to Buxton,
England to perform in the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival.
Nick is survived by his wife of 63 years, Elizabeth Montgomery Thomas, his son,
Nicholas B. Thomas, Jr. (Jena), daughter Susan Burke (Stanford), daughter Vicki
Pohl (Chris), and daughter Melinda Thomas; grandchildren Kristine Gorel (fiancé
Ron Tayala and his children Austin, Taylor and Grace), Andrew Sarsfield
(Mariellen), Christopher Pohl, and Emily Thomas; and great-grandchildren Dylan
Gorel, Zoe Gorel, James Sarsfield, and Ella Sarsfield. In addition to his parents, he
was preceded in death by his sister, Emilia Sullivan (Edward).
A memorial service will be scheduled in the coming months and his ashes will be
scattered into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Maine. Hundreds of friends
have stated that Nick Thomas was the kindest and gentlest man they have ever
known. The entire family thanks you for your love and care.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made, in his honor, to the Bruce Montgomery
Foundation for the Arts at brucemontgomery.org.