Thomas H. Rose Jr.

thomas rose

July 26, 1951 ~ October 4, 2021

Born in: Rocky Mount, NC
Resided in: Lawrenceville, GA

Thomas H. Rose, Jr., of Lawrenceville, GA, passed away on October 4, 2021, at the age of 70. Thomas was born to parents Thomas H. Rose, Sr., and Estelle Flye Rose, on July 26, 1951 in Rocky Mount, NC.

Thomas graduated in 1969 from North Forsyth High School, in Winston-Salem, NC, and continued his education by graduating with a BA from Catawba College in 1973, and earning an MBA from Wake Forest University in 1978.

After a career in the printing business, in 1986 he started with Dillard Paper. Thomas continued working in the paper business, and became the Vice President of the Southeastern region of Xpedx, for the distribution side of International Paper. When he retired in 2013, he was inducted into the Xpedx hall of fame, and this was their praise of him: “In each position, Tom improved results and was responsible for one of xpedx’s most profitable groups. Tom has helped develop and mentor many of our best managers. His career is marked by the hiring and development of many successful sellers. In business, Tom has always been exceptionally loyal and passionate about our employees, our customers, and our business. He truly cares about the well-being and success of all his constituents. While Tom has been supremely focused on our business, the satisfaction derived from his family as husband to Debbie and father to Peyton has been his real joy and passion.”

Thomas was very intuitive and insightful of other people, which helped him to be a good leader. He was a very loving and caring son, husband, and father. In his free time, he loved going for walks with his dogs, playing golf, and traveling. For several years, he volunteered at the Suthers Center Thrift Store & Food Bank.

He is preceded in death by his son, Thomas Peyton Rose. He is survived by his loving wife, Debra P. Rose; parents Thomas H. Rose, Sr., and Estelle Flye Rose; Brothers: Michael Rose (Kristen), and Steven Kelly Rose (Bonnie); one grandchild; and several nieces and nephews.

There is no service scheduled at this time, but a Celebration of Life will be planned for a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to The Suthers Center for Christian Outreach, P.O. Box 80568, Chamblee, GA 30366, or St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church, 3110 Ashford Dunwoody Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30319.

The family would like to express their appreciation for the loving attention of Dogwood Forest of Grayson, especially for the devoted care of Joan and Jasmine, and Lanier Hospice.

View current weather.

Memories Timeline

Guestbook

  1. CandleImageWhat a wonderful man. Always happy and upbeat whenever I saw him. I will miss his great smile. Praying for peace and strength for his family.

  2. CandleImageNo words can comfort at this time…. I am always here for you Debbi and look forward to sharing your memories

  3. I originally met Tom in the 70’s in Old Town. I had the pleasure of working with Tom at Dillard Paper and then International Paper. I will always remember Tom for his vision and his willingness to help me in my career. A wonderful man and a caring guy. Rest In Peace Tom. You were one of the good guys.
    Doug

  4. CandleImageWhat a wonderful Uncle!! He was such a light in our family and miss all the laughs and time spent over the years. He will be throughly missed and very loved!

  5. I had the pleasure of reporting to Tom for many years at our xpedx division in Nashville, TN.
    Tom inherited a mess when he ran our Group, mainly a collection of unprofitable divisions. Thru Tom’s tireless work effort, he was able to form the entire Group into his own image…a hard working group of individuals who never gave up while working thru some tremendous challenges along the way. Tom transformed all of us into profitable work centers with a strategy of a nose to the grindstone type effort, focusing on the details both large and small, all with his trademark grin and a “you can do it” mandate”. We had a lot of successes together…
    but also a lot of great memories and laughs too. God speed, Tom Rose, miss you, man, Love you!

  6. Praying for peace for all the family and especially Debbie. We had the pleasure of taking a trip to Yellowstone, and several Dinners. What I remember most about Tom was his never failing smile and unforgettable sweet nature. I know how much Debbie will miss him. Love Denise

  7. I met Tom at xpedx in the late 90s, he was great to work with and always a team player. He was kind and sensitive person who always got the job done. He will be deeply missed. God Bless him and his loving family!

  8. May your heart and mind be filled with only loving memories. Tom Rose got it! He got the customer, he got the job done, he got the sales rep., he got the warehouse, he got customer service, he got our drivers, he got Rita, he got it all to make us all one big happy successful work family. He was a wonderful mentor. I greatly appreciate the opportunities he provided. May peace be with him and you.

  9. I came to work at Dillard Paper as a customer service person in 1993. Tom was instrumental in my moving into a sales position a little over a year later. I was in my 20s and had never once considered sales but Tom and Mike Bower thought I’d “be good at it”. Almost a decade later, they approached me about sales management, because they thought “I’d be good at it”. Tom became my mentor, smoothing out my ever so rough edges and preparing me for the next opportunity. He had me sit in on discussions that were beyond my tenure, encouraged me to seek out the subject matter expert in every business acumen category to learn and grow. Years later he instilled in me the desire to help those that would come behind on the same journey. I think about him every time the opportunity arises to slow down, listen and help if I can. Looking back on it, I realize how fortunate I was to have had him as a mentor and boss, but even more so as a friend and role model for everything from ethical business practices to protecting your legacy to extreme devotion to the ones you love. I wanted nothing more than to make him proud. For me, his legacy is one of incredible devotion, faith and magnificent generosity of spirit. The world shines a bit less without him in it but he would say its up to me to shine even brighter. I will try.


Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle

  1. CandleImage
  2. CandleImage
  3. CandleImage
  4. CandleImage
  5. CandleImage
  6. CandleImage
  7. CandleImage
  8. CandleImage