Jay Schlichter

NAPLES DAILY NEWS

The man may be gone, but the voice is eternal.

Peter Thomas, 91, a voice-over icon and World War II veteran, died Saturday, nearly two years after he lost his wife and high school sweetheart, Stella Barrineau Thomas.

His distinctive vocal cords made him a part of Americana, but locally Peter Thomas became most famous for his humanitarian heart.

"He was loved by so many people," said Peter Thomas Jr., the 65-year-old son who was by his father's side in Naples when he passed, along with Peter Thomas' two other children, Doug Thomas and Elizabeth Joyoprayitno.

During a career that spanned seven decades, Peter Thomas lent his smooth and silky baritone to everything from commercials to documentaries, his most well-known work being the narrator of "Forensic Files." He was a radio announcer, a newspaper reporter, television anchor for CBS New York and finally, a voice-over actor.

A family man

Born in Pensacola to a Presbyterian minister, Peter Thomas had a strict upbringing, but he credited it as instrumental to his future career. In a 2014 interview, Peter Thomas said his Welsh father required him to read and memorize Bible passages, and encouraged him to paint mental pictures of words while speaking.

In high school, Peter Thomas started reading poetry and news on the local radio station. That's when he met Stella. After spotting her at a school dance, he began to woo Stella by dedicating a song and poem to her on his show. They began dating.

Stella and Peter Thomas were married on June 29, 1946, and raised three children together in Greenwich, Connecticut.

The couple purchased a home in Naples in 1966 on a whim during a vacation, but they didn't move to Southwest Florida permanently until 1985, as Peter Thomas continued to travel extensively for his career.

Peter Thomas Jr. and Joyoprayitno both mentioned that one of their most cherished memories was being taken to numerous Broadway shows by their parents, who wanted their children to have an appreciation for the arts.

"He was a very caring person and very caring father," Joyoprayitno said. "He would do anything at all that you asked of him. You didn't have to ask him twice. He cared so much for other people."

The love of performance art was definitely a trait was that passed on, as both Peter Thomas Jr. and Doug Thomas have also worked as voice-over actors, as well as one of Peter Thomas' seven grandchildren. The couple also had two great-grandchildren.

Serving his country

In 1943, Peter Thomas volunteered for the Army and was shipped out to Europe that December. Several months later, he was on the shores of Normandy, France, replacing soldiers killed a day before in the D-Day invasion.

"I was 19 when I joined the war. My parents were immigrants who did their part during the First World War. Being an immigrant child, my parents inculcated in me a love of this country," Peter Thomas said in a 2007 Naples Daily News article. "They would say to me, 'Remember you are living in the greatest country in the world with opportunities and a chance to do any thing you want.' They said that to me with an expectation that I'd give back to my country.

"My parents lost so many people in the First World War. I grew up hearing all these stories about my family in that war. You know, my Uncle Bill was in the trenches of France in World War I. I had to go and do my part as well," he continued. "I think that was a general feeling all the way through America at that time. Everybody wanted to go. Not like today."

While overseas, he fought through France, Belgium and crossed the Rhine into Germany while serving with the First Infantry Division. In addition to Normandy, he was in four other major campaigns, including the Battle of the Bulge and was issued a Battle Star for each of the five campaigns as well as the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Unit French Croix de Guerre and Belgian Fourragère.

Using his God-given talent

Upon returning to the States, Peter Thomas traveled to New York and fell right back into voice work there. He connected with Walter Cronkite to produce "The Jack Paar Show."

"I did that for eight years. They offered me a chance to do the 11 o'clock news. But then corporate sent these contracts over saying I couldn't do anything but CBS news programs," Peter Thomas said. "I wanted to do documentaries and commercials as well and didn't want to limit myself. It wasn't for me. Later, Walter told me I made the right decision. He said, 'They made me retire at 65.' And, I said, 'I'm still going as long as the voice holds up.'"

That is exactly what Peter Thomas did, working until almost the end .

Along with narrating all 403 episodes of "Forensic Files" over its 17-season run, the legendary voice-over actor has a body of work too numerous to list here. He also won innumerable awards, but the one he was most proud of was receiving an Oscar for "One Survivor Remembers," an HBO documentary about concentration camp survivor Gerda Weissman Klein.

While Peter Thomas was often most known for his serious voice on documentaries, he also had quite a funny bone. That was shown in multiple commercials, particularly in one he did for Cool Whip.

"The images you are about to see may be difficult to look at," Peter Thomas says in his unique pensive tone for the commercial, as images of limp, sad-looking cakes are shown. "Sadly, every year millions of innocent cakes are mangled, mistreated and hurt, but there is something you can do. Go to the freezer section and pick up new Cool Whip frosting."

While the mention of his name didn't always evoke recognition, Peter Thomas' voice was one millions of people worldwide immediately recognized. That wasn't surprising, seeing as how it could be heard pretty much everywhere one looked. As he was being recognized at the 2014 Marine Corps League of Naples Honor the Free Press event, a speaker reminded the audience that Peter Thomas was the one responsible for the famous "Don't leave home without it" line in the American Express commercials.

He's also the man who was asked to record instructions for Philips' HeartStart automated external defibrillator (AED) devices, because as Peter Thomas put it, "they wanted a voice that wouldn't scare people." Thanks to his calm, reassuring tone, the devices helped save many lives.

"I had somebody on a plane tell me, 'You saved my life,'" Thomas said in an 2014 interview. "There happened to be an AED machine and they followed the instructions. He said if the machine hadn't been there, he wouldn't have been there. It's a wonderful feeling to know that you're doing something that is contributing to mankind."

"(His voice) still amazes me," said Peter Thomas Jr. "Dad has piles of fan mail from all over the world. He was known internationally because of 'Forensic Files'."

The executive producer of that show, Paul Dowling, understands that better than most.

"It got to the point quickly where Peter not only became a part of the show, it was where we gave him no direction," Dowling said, because Peter Thomas was known for always being extremely prepared and knowledgeable about the subject matter. "He forgot more about voice-over work then we'll ever know."

While Dowling said he has been encouraged many times to bring "Forensic Files" back, the producer doesn't think it will be possible. The show's reruns are broadcast in the U.S. on the HLN network and syndicated internationally.

"He can't be replaced," Dowling said. "He was that great at it. I don't want to water it down or change it."

Caring for his community and others

Peter Thomas was known for his love of veterans.

He contributed his time, voice and more to the cause close to his heart, working on various committees and organizations whose goals were to honor and recognize those who fought for this nation's freedom, like himself.

"When I see American soldiers, I think, 'That's the greatest thing we have in this country — the American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. These are the same kind of guys, with the same kind of courage, that we had in the Second World War,'" Peter Thomas said in 2007. "They need to know, they are beloved."

Many years after returning from WWII, Peter Thomas wrote a poem about and titled "Omaha Beach." He would later go on to recite it during a 2013 Memorial Day ceremony at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Amy Snyder, the executive director of the Holocaust Museum of Southwest Florida, said Peter Thomas "was a giant of a man — a true gentleman and a humble servant."

"Because of his role in WWII as a liberator of the Nordhausen concentration camp, Peter wanted to make certain the story continued to be told," she said. "He supported the Holocaust Museum in many ways — from narrating the museum's original audio tour and documentary, to sharing his WWII experience with high school students. Peter was always gracious with his time and the students learned so much from him. He will be greatly missed, but has left a lasting legacy for future generations."

Failing health

Stella and Peter Thomas were a love story come to life. She meant more to him than many people realize, family and friends said.

"They were a team. They supported each other in everything they did," Joyoprayitno said on Monday from the couple's 10th Avenue South home in Naples. "But (Peter) gave Stella the credit for everything he did."

Therefore, losing her was a major blow to Peter's life, and particularly his health, his children said. She passed away on June 16, 2014.

"This past year and a year were very difficult without Stella," Joyoprayitno said, adding that a recent infection after visiting a dermatologist was causing her father a lot of pain.

With his children flying in to be by his side, Peter Thomas seemed to finally be at peace.

"We were encouraging him to let go," his daughter said. "It seemed to happen in the most beautiful way. We witnessed him making the conscious decision to let go of this life. We're very happy that he is no longer suffering.

"It's the end of an era. The Peter and Stella era. It's bittersweet."

The family is finalizing funeral arrangements with the pastor of Naples Community Church where the couple attended, but plan to open the service to the public.

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Naples Daily News staff writer Maryann Batlle contributed to this article.