Fred Thomas Jr., 84, of New York and Immokalee, Florida passed away peacefully at home on May 22, 2024, with his wife Cheryle by his side. He was born in Harlem, New York city on October 12, 1939, to Fred Thomas Sr. and Thomasina Carver Thomas.

He was a retired public administrator who had a passion for photography that began 35 years ago. Prior to coming to Florida in 1980 he had several posters published to support various community activities. When he accepted the position as the Executive Director of the Collier County Housing Authority in 1986, he was able to combine his love for hunting and his passion for photography into a special kind of wildlife photo adventure. He was selected in 1998, 1999 and 2000 to appear in the "Best of Photography Annual" published by the Photographer's Forum magazine. In 1989 he took a picture of an historic warehouse in Micanopy, Florida that hangs at that museum and is one of their bestselling post cards.

For eight consecutive years, Mr. Thomas' photographs were selected as Best of Show at the Collier County Annual Fair photo contest. The following year his student won the event, Annie Olesky. His photographs can be found in two congressional offices in Washington, D.C., Congressman Porter Goss and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and in several legislative offices in Tallahassee. He was a finalist for two years in The Selby Gardens Photo contest in Sarasota, Florida. In May 2005, he was selected as the Resident Artist of the Month, by the Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

Fred had a long and impactful career with the Collier County Housing Authority, serving both the Naples and Immokalee offices until his retirement. His commitment to community development was evident in the numerous projects he spearheaded to enhance the lives of Immokalee residents.

In addition to his professional contributions, Fred was an active member of the Immokalee Local Redevelopment Advisory Board (CRA), where he served for many years, consistently working to create positive change in the community he loved so dearly.

1968 was his first position with the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority as a community organizer

1972 accepted a position with Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority

1973 became Executive Director of Evansville Indiana Housing Authority

1980 became Executive Director with the Indianapolis Indiana Housing Authority

Fred's passion and dedication have left a lasting legacy. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him. Fred was cremated.

There will be a celebration of Life on June 7, 2024, at Bethel Assembly of God at 1:00 pm.