Rodney Djuane Thomas, age 41, of Spring, formerly of Groveton, was born on March 30, 1973 to his parents, Frank Braggs and Shirley (Thomas) Williams in Trinity, Texas and went to be with his Lord and Savior on June 14, 2014 in Groveton. Visitation will begin at 9:30 AM until service time at 11:00 AM, Friday, June 20, 2014 at the John W. Reynolds Athletic Complex of the Groveton High School Gymnasium with Elder Darell Williams officiating. Burial will follow the services in Lacy Cemetery.

He was raised in the Baptist Church and attended Baldwin Chapel in his youth. Rodney was a graduate of Groveton High School Class of 1990, where he helped Groveton capture two back to back state 2A championships in 1989 and 1990. Upon graduation, he was signed on at Texas A&M University to play college football. Rodney had a career rushing total of 8,441 yards and was ranked fifth on the all-time list. He helped lead Texas A&M in the Southwest Conference in rushing for four consecutive years during his tenure. In 1995, he was drafted in the NFL during round three and picked by Houston Oilers to play professional football. He played as a running back for Houston Oilers, Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons during his seven year NFL career. Rodney is listed in the Texas A&M Hall of Fame as well as the Groveton High School Hall of Fame. In 1994, he was given the Aggie Heart Award. He was truly a kind and compassionate man. He loved his family and spending as much time with them as possible. He also loved his home town of Groveton and did whatever he could to outreach to the community. He was a people person and always was a joy to be around. He enjoyed visiting with the youth and mentoring them.

Rodney is preceded in death by his father, Frank Braggs; step-father, Jessie Williams and his twin brother, Todd Thomas. He leaves behind his wife, Leigh Thomas, of Spring; son, Ian Thomas, of Spring; step-son, Jalen Brown, of Spring; mother, Shirley Williams, of Groveton; sisters, Ella Derry, of Houston, Lakendra Braggs, Christine Williams, of Groveton and Jessica Williams, of Groveton; brothers, Steven Thomas, of Houston, Kevin Braggs, Delrasil Williams, of Houston, Elder Darell Williams, of Huntsville and Jessie Lee Williams, of Groveton; numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends, also survive.

The family would like to request that donations or memorials be made to Groveton Athletic Booster Club, PO Box 33, Groveton, TX 75845; Groveton EMS, PO Box 10, Groveton, TX 75845 or to the Charity of your Choice.

Groveton Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Please sign the guestbook at www.grovetonfuneralhome.com