THOMAS GLENN MONROE

1987-2020

Thomas Glenn Monroe was born in Houston on the 24th of February 1987 and passed away in Houston on Saturday, the 22nd of August 2020. He was 33 years of age.

Named for both his grandfathers, Thomas Glenn Monroe was born the youngest of four boys under the age of five. At Briargrove Elementary he was an academic and thespian star, playing Pinocchio in a school play and in the Number Sense competition placing in the top three in the city. As a youngster Thomas loved kneeboarding during July 4th trips to Lake Travis with his older brothers and cousins. He was sweet and affectionate and held his mother’s hand going into school or church until the age of 10. He had a special affinity for his dogs, Oliver, Buddy, and Buster Douglass, and once rigged a dolly into a sled so that Oliver, the big black lab, could pull him across the yard. Naturally handy, Thomas often helped his father with home improvement projects.

At Strake Jesuit Thomas worked hard in his courses and even harder in wrestling, football, and lacrosse. His lacrosse team won a state championship and he served as captain two years running. He took the Jesuit motto “Men for Others” to heart and gave back to his alma mater by coaching the freshman lacrosse team while he was in college and into his twenties. A generation of Jesuit lacrosse players learned their first skills from “Coach T.”

Accepted at many universities, Thomas chose the University of Houston where he had spent many a day with his brothers and friends climbing trees and playing campus-wide games of tag and hide and seek. Thomas and his brothers, known far and wide as the “Monroe Boys,” had a bond, a language, and a culture all their own. Years of verbal sparring made his wit razor-sharp, a quality that was not lost on anyone. He was loyal and faithful and when necessary was known to defend his brothers with a pithy, perfectly-timed comeback. Their friends spent countless hours playing freeze ball in the backyard and computer games during sleepovers in

the famous Monroe family “end room.”

As a student at UH he played on the lacrosse team and was active in Sigma Chi and the Honors College, completing a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with University Honors and taking on learning abroad excursions to Italy and Sicily, Israel and Palestine. As a freshman he lived on campus and later in his great-grandparents’ historic “Caroline House” with his Sigma Chi brothers. He remained involved with the Honors College after his graduation, serving as grillmaster at holiday receptions and attending College events as an alumnus. An ardent supporter of Houston sports teams, especially the Rockets, Thomas met his hero Hakeem Olajuwon at the 2019 Great Conversation gala in the Fertitta Center.

Scrappy and fearless, Thomas joined the Progressive Amateur Boxing Association in Third Ward where he sparred and trained for two successful amateur bouts as a middleweight, earning him the nickname “Champ.” But mainly he was known for his refreshing informality, kind and generous disposition, and friendly, welcoming ways.

After college, Thomas qualified as an EIT and worked for engineering firms until a downturn in the energy industry. Most recently he was training with Sam Banks as a technical trading analyst and showing great promise.

Whatever his struggles, Thomas was a good person trying his best and was supported with love, respect, and dignity. He was beloved by his parents, Bill and Helen Monroe; and his brothers, David, Will and his wife, Kendall, and Mark and his wife, Adriana; and his best friend, Dinara Muratova. He will be greatly missed by his three nephews, Pace, Landrum, and Jude Thomas Monroe, who all adored their uncle. Thomas will be remembered by his extended family, his aunts and uncles and cousins, with whom he forged many fond memories.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from four o’clock this afternoon until seven o’clock this evening, Sunday the 30th of August, in the library and grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis and Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

A funeral service is to be conducted at one o’clock in the afternoon on Monday, the 31st of August, in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons. Kindly note that for the protection of all who visit our funeral home, current protocols and guidelines are in place where masks and social distancing are required. For those unable to attend, his service will be livestreamed on the firm’s Facebook page in the “Events” section.

The interment will follow, via an escorted cortège, at Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions may be directed to the Thomas Monroe Learning Abroad Scholarship Endowment at the Honors College by contacting Hannah Barker at 713-743-3220. https://giving.uh.edu /gift/?allocation= HE18178HA554

Please visit Thomas’s online memorial tribute at GeoHLewis.com where memories and words of comfort and condolence may be shared electronically with his family.

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” Isaiah 66:13.