Roger Wayne Thomas

Mr. Roger Wayne Thomas, 63, of Brentwood, TN passed away peacefully on Friday, January 31, 2025, surrounded by his family. He was born on July 31, 1961, to Cecil and Reva Thomas. 

Roger, born in Chattanooga and having lived in Nashville for over 30 years, was a graduate of McCallie School and held a degree in Finance from the University of Kentucky. He furthered his education and received joint JD/MBA degrees from Memphis State University. Upon moving to Nashville, he served as the Assistant Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions where he oversaw the regulation of the residential mortgage industry throughout the State of Tennessee. During his tenure with the TDFI, Roger served as the President of the National Association of Consumer Credit Administrators and was a board member of the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators. He then began to pursue his passion for commercial real estate development and became a Sonic Drive-In franchisee in the states Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina. This led him into his ultimate career as a founding member and Principal Broker of Veritas Realty Group where he continued with commercial and residential real estate throughout central Tennessee. 

He was a member of Brentwood United Methodist Church and had a genuine love for helping people. Some of his favorite service projects included Room in the Inn and Habitat for Humanity. 

We are comforted by the fact that Roger lived a fulfilled life, evidenced by his devotion for his careers in realty, law, and business, for his favorite teams the Kentucky Wildcats, Tennessee Titans, and Atlanta Braves, as well as his favorite artist, Bruce Springsteen.

Roger loved being where the action was, which led him to seeing his favorite artist, Bruce Springsteen, in concert a total of 41 times in the last 40 years where he was always in the pit and often front-row. He witnessed Secretariat’s win at the Kentucky Derby, Hank Aaron’s 500th home run, Kentucky Basketball’s National Championship win in 2012, and Jack Nicholas and Tiger Woods win the Masters. Many of his closest friendships were formed over shared excitement and love for live music and sporting events.

He was a devoted husband and father and was preceded in death by his parents, Cecil Wayne and Reva Mae Thomas. Roger leaves behind a loving family including his wife of 37 years, Teresa Thomas; daughters Megan Budde (Kyle) and Lauren Thomas; grandchildren Harrison Budde and Graham Budde; sister Dr. Anita Thomas; niece Caitlin Daly (Andrew); and nephew Scott Thomas, along with countless other friends and family members who love and miss him dearly.

Funeral services will be held at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home on Sunday, February 16th starting with a visitation at 11:00AM and a memorial service to follow at 12:00PM. In lieu of flowers, Roger requested donations to be made to the American Cancer Society.