/Burlingame

A memorial service for BobThomas will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 at First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame, 1500 Easton Dr. at the corner of Easton and El Camino Real.

Thomas was general manager of the East Bay Express, where he had worked for six years, when he joined Embarcadero Publishing Company (EPC) in 1998 as vice-president of Business Development. His key contribution to EPC, however, was the start-up of the Pleasanton Weekly in January 2000, and later the Danville Weekly in 2004. These added to EPC's portfolio of community newspapers that now also includes the Pacific Sun in Marin County.

The Pleasanton Weekly become a successful and respected publication in the community.

He was also part of Pleasanton from the start, frequently meeting with advertisers and newsmakers. He also helped launch the highly-successful Pleasanton Weekly Holiday Fund, which has grown from a 2002 goal of $25,000 to last year's $150,000 in contributions that went to eight nonprofits in the Tri-Valley.

"Despite health challenges that dogged him towards the end of his tenure in the East Bay, Bob was an instrumental part of the decision to open up a second paper in Danville," said Mike Naar, EPC's vice president and chief financial officer, told the Weekly.

"For those who knew Bob, his accomplishments come as no surprise," Naar added. "Even so, they pale in comparison to the grace, good-naturedness and intelligent practicality he brought to work every day. His sense of humor, his incredible optimism, and his evenness defined the remarkable prince of a human being Bob was. We will all deeply miss him."

Mr. Thomas is survived by his wife Candy, a son Ross and a daughter Brin.