Allendale County obituary remembers Bobby Thomas for family and faith

Bobby Thomas was remembered in Fairfax for the steady way he showed up for the people he loved. His life centered on family, faith, sports and loyalty, and those were the traits neighbors and relatives will miss most.

Family and friends gathered Saturday, June 6, 2026, at Fairfax First Baptist Church, 725 7th St. W. in Fairfax, for visitation from 10 to 11 a.m., followed by the funeral service at 11 a.m. Keith Smith Funeral Service of Allendale assisted the family, and memorial contributions were requested in lieu of flowers.

Robert Lavern “Bobby” Thomas died on May 30, 2026, at age 90. He was born June 20, 1935, and left behind his wife, June Thomas; his son, Robby Thomas; his daughter, Kim Duncan, and her husband, Joey; grandchildren Brant Duncan, Nicholas Duncan, Fisher Duncan, Alex Thomas and Joseph Toby; and great-granddaughter Amerie Toby. The obituary also noted that Bobby was the last of six children, a detail that points to the wide family circle he helped hold together for decades, including nieces and nephews he cherished dearly.

What set him apart in the family’s telling was not just his role as husband, father and grandfather, but his presence at the moments that mattered. He was known for attending soccer matches and golf tournaments, and the family said he even traveled to Florida to watch a soccer match. Whether he was cheering from the sidelines or joining a grandson in competition, Bobby Thomas brought the same full-hearted support that made him a familiar figure in family life.

That kind of devotion fit the setting of Fairfax First Baptist Church, a congregation whose history reaches back to Bethlehem Baptist Church, organized in 1852. The church remains a central gathering place in a town that grew out of Owens’ Crossroads and was incorporated in 1896. Fairfax had 1,505 residents in the 2020 census, while Allendale County had 8,039, making it South Carolina’s least populous county.

In a county that small, a funeral at Fairfax First Baptist Church carried more than private grief. It marked the absence of a man whose faith and reliability were visible in the everyday places where family life and community life meet.