‘He went out giving his all.’ KC husband and father of seven Milton Thomas dies at 44
After losing his father at the age of 6, Milton Thomas felt he had to step up. With a single mother working long hours to provide for him and his two younger brothers, Thomas became the man of the house at a young age.
That caring, fatherly demeanor followed him throughout his life, mentoring and looking after those he cared about, up until the day he died.
Thomas, a father of seven, died June 27 at the age of 44, from a heart attack.
“He was always positive and supportive. You would never know my brother was going through anything or stressed about something,” says Joseph Thomas, his youngest sibling. “He was always supportive to people through his tough times.”
Known as Joey Cutts through his work as a barber and his nonprofit organization, the Know Joey? Foundation, he credits his older brother as a pillar of support to get his dreams off the ground.
“We are at peace because my brother was the type of guy who gave his all at whatever he was doing, and I feel like he went out giving his all,” says the 40-year-old barber.
He said his brother battled health issues for most of his adult life, enduring an aneurysm, four strokes and a coma, all the while keeping a positive outlook on life.
Even with his many long stays in the hospital, Thomas was always seen with a smile and a sense of humor, cracking jokes to make sure the mood was never too serious.
Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, the Thomas brothers were always encouraged by their mother, a cosmetologist, to strike out on their own. Milton Thomas set the example by creating a series of businesses before finally founding Crown Construction LLC in 2019.
A Kansas City native and Northeast High School graduate, Thomas hoped to use his construction business to revitalize the urban core he was raised in. For those who knew Thomas, his gift was seeing the potential in something that looked unsalvageable and turning it into something better.
“He was one of those people who was willing to do whatever it takes to help the people he was around,” says his middle brother, William Thomas, 42, a systems engineer and creator of All Things Tech. “He always had their back and tried to put them into positions to win.”
Thomas had a deep passion for business, but the thing that made him most happy was his family, his brothers said. Having his first child at the age of 16, Thomas never stopped working to provide for them.
“His wife and children were his biggest joys and drives in life,” says Joseph Thomas. “It is amazing how much of a capacity he had to be there for a wife, his kids, his brothers, his mother and everyone else. I have no idea how he managed it.”
At his funeral services July 8, over 500 people signed the guest book.
“Being there and listening to different people’s stories shows me how he was compassionate, creative and cared about people,” said Wiliam Thomas.
Joseph Thomas said he hopes to carry on his brother’s legacy to help others.
“I can’t think of anything I have done, good or bad when my brother wasn’t literally right there beside me,” he said. “He had a positive and lasting impression he left on a lot of people, and I will miss his presence, guidance and mentorship.”
Other remembrances
Wade Cozart
Wade Cozart, hazmat truck driver and father, died June 24. He was 56.
Cozart was born Sept. 8, 1966, to Elazata Nelson and Louie Ashley in Kansas City. After his mother’s marriage to his stepfather, Danny Nelson, the family moved to Evanston, Illinois.
Returning home to Kansas City as a teenager, Cozart graduated from Northeast High School in 1984. He was remembered by loved ones spending his free time listening to music, playing sports and skating.
Cozart had a lifelong interest in working with his hands and fixing cars. He worked for Time Warner Cable for 15 years before opening his own operating and training company in the trucking industry. He worked for the Carter Energy Corp. for 15 years, operating tankers transporting hazardous materials.
He is survived by his mother, Elzata Nelson; children Wade Q. Cozart, Montell H. Cozart and Brianna Cozart; siblings Remona Hooker, Shelonda Nelson, Danny Nelson, Cedric Ashley, Sondra Lyons, Bonita Ashley Carter, Louie Ashley III, Crystal Ashley and Victor Ashley. He is also remembered by a host of nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
Pamela Vaughn
Pamela Vaughn, mother and security systems software engineer, died June 25. She was 70.
Vaughn was born Jan. 3, 1953, in Kansas City, Kansas, to Edward and Gloria Vaughn and was the youngest of the couple’s children. She graduated from East High School in 1971.
Vaughn gave birth to her only child, Joi, in 1975 and moved to Dallas to work as a security systems software engineer for companies such as ARCO Oil, Dell, Core Logic and BNY Mellon.
Vaughn will be remembered by her family as someone with a passion for life who loved helping others and enjoyed nature, photography and technology.
She is survived by her daughter, Joi Vaughn; siblings Janice Toombs, Gayle Vaughn-Wiles andEdward J. Vaughn Jr. She also leaves behind many other relatives and friends.
