Bill Thompson

THOMPSON, HEARN, SVANOE, MUELLER, BERENDS, BARNETT, WEIR, TREBIL, IVERSON, GILLESPIE, DEWITT, PRATT, KREBS, WAGNER

Posted By: dbeier (email)
Date: 2/20/2011 at 13:09:14

DUMONT: Funeral services for Bill Thompson, 65, of Dumont will be 10:30 a.m., Saturday, February 19, 2011, at St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Vilmar with Pastor Mark Walker officiating.

Burial will be in the South Vilmar Cemetery, Vilmar.

Visitation will be 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Friday, February 18, 2011, at Reid’s Funeral Chapel, 519 N. First St., Greene. Visitation will continue for one hour before services at St. John’s on Saturday.

William Verne Thompson was born, December 15, 1945, in Charles City, Floyd Co., Iowa, a son of Verne Roy and Leota (Hearn) Thompson and died Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City.

He received his education in the Greene Public Schools graduating in 1964. He continued his education at Luther College graduating in 1968. While attending Luther College, Bill was a 4 year member of the Nordic Choir under the direction of Weston Noble. He was presented the presidency of the Nordic Choir by Don Deines on their European Tour. Bill attended Seminary in Chicago and Minneapolis.

As a young man he helped out on the family farm and drove his first tractor at the age of 4. Bill was outstanding in music, sang for lots of funerals and weddings, and participated in speech and plays with the community theater. In 1974 Bill moved to Colorado where he worked for a heating and air-conditioning company. In 1984 he started The Dish Doctor, a service and installation company for satellite TV. After 25 years as The Dish Doctor he retired in 2009. Bill was employed as a teacher at elementary schools in Allison, Iowa and Petersburg, IL; drove Charter Bus for Jefferson Bus Lines; and worked for the Iowa Energy Policy Council.

He was united in marriage to M. Sue Svanoe in May 1968. To this union were blessed two sons: Joshua Reuben Thompson in May 1971, and Jacob William Thompson in June 1973. He was united in marriage to Jane E.
Mueller of Manly on April 30, 1983.

He was baptized and confirmed at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Greene. Bill was a member of the Mayflower UCC in Colorado where he sang and directed the choir and served on the church council. In 1994 Bill returned to family farming in Iowa and became a member of St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Vilmar. He served on the church council and sang in the church choir.

Bill’s passions were camping and flying his Ultra Light. He started flying his Ultra Light Mini Max in 1997 logging over 1000 hours of flight time from 1997- 2009. He loved to buzz the local farmers. He was a published aerial photographer. Bill loved camping and motorcycling in the mountains. In 2007 Bill and his family returned to their favorite campsite near Webster Pass and rode ATV’s to the top of Red Cone.

He is survived by his wife, Jane of Dumont; two sons: Joshua Reuben (Heather) Thompson of Aurora, CO., Jacob William Thompson of Denver, CO.; one sister: Jill (Mark) Berends of Allison; one brother: Chuck (Carolyn) Thompson of Greene; three sisters-in-law: Ruth (Rod) Barnett, Margaret (Ben) Weir, Susan (Steve) Trebil; nieces and nephews: Crystal (Larry) Iverson and son Nathan; Joe Gillespie, Jesse Gillespie, Shawn (Kim) Thompson and son Caleb; Kimberly DeWitt, Jeremy (Alissa) DeWitt, and children Mattanah and Micaiah; Michelle DeWitt; Carolyn (Patrick) Pratt and children Alissa and Samuel Pratt; Keith Krebs; Carla Wagner and sons Braden and Collin Wagner; Sonya (Corey) Carlson and daughter Maris.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, his niece Dawn Marie Thompson, his sister-in-law Ann Krebs; brother-in-law Randy Gillespie and nephew Randy Gillespie.

Those planning an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the William Thompson Memorial Fund, 13712 190th St. Dumont, Iowa 50625

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Reid’s Funeral Chapel, 519 N. First St. Greene.