William Fredrick Thompson, 20 Jan 1948 - 12 Jul 2015

THOMPSON, BODE, OSTER, EDGE, CRONE

Posted By: Sandy Ficken (email)
Date: 9/30/2015 at 16:11:22

William Thompson, 67

A service of remembrance to celebrate the life of William F. Thompson, 67, Cedar Rapids, was held at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 18, at the Roland Funeral Home, Atlantic. He died July 12, 2015, after a six-year battle with multiple myeloma.

Burial was at Oakwood Cemetery, Lewis.

Memorials may be given to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.

William Fredrick “Bill” Thompson was born Jan. 20, 1948, in Atlantic, the son of Betty (Bode) and Dula Thompson. The temperature that morning was 34 degrees below zero. Bill and his sister and brothers were raised on a farm south of Oakland. Under their dad’s watchful eye and insistence in the value of hard work, a respect for the land and agriculture was learned, sometimes the hard way.

Work on the farm had to be mixed with academic school work and participation in whatever sport/activity was in season at the time. From high school through college, football and baseball team participation dominated time and play. He excelled in a number of sports, being named all-conference or all-state in both high school and college.

During the summer months of his college years, he worked long hours at the Oakland beef plant, but still found the time and energy to play on a number of area baseball teams for Carson and Elliot. Games were played at night, which meant an early rise for work the next morning.

Participation in these activities was very important to Bill and his siblings. While involved in activities in school and at home, the Thompson kids learned many of life’s values at a young age which served them well as adults later in life. During the many years of constant involvement in one activity or another, Dula and Betty could always be found in the crowd providing support for their children. Marvin, Bill, Lanette and Ken always appreciated the support and involvement provided by their parents.

He graduated from Oakland High School in 1966 and went on to earn other educational degrees and hours from Simpson College, Iowa State University and the University of Iowa.

Upon earning a bachelor’s degree in history from Simpson in 1970, he embarked on a 39-year journey in education in various Iowa and Nebraska school districts as follows: from 1971 to 1976, he served as a teacher and coach at Baxter High School, Baxter. After receiving his master’s degree in educational administration from Iowa State University in 1976, he was the assistant principal and athletic director at Iowa Valley High School, Marengo, from 1976 to 1982. From 1982 to 1983, he served as the high school principal at Center Point High School, Center Point. From 1982 to 1990, he served the Mid-Prairie School District in Kalona and Wellman as the high school principal.

Beginning in the fall of 1990, until retirement in 2004, he served as superintendent of schools for the Williamsburg Community School District. In 2006, after two years of retirement, he served as school superintendent at the Ponca Community School District, Ponca, Neb.

In 1978, he married Carol Oster in Cedar Rapids. They divorced in 1991.

Thompson is survived by his sons, William John, Las Vegas, Nev., and Michael Victor, Milton, Fla.; his significant other, Cindy Edge, Cedar Rapids; his parents, Betty and Dula Thompson, Lewis; one sister, Lanette (Rick) Crone, Cedar Rapids; two brothers, Marvin (Melinda), Oakland, and Ken (Kathy), Grand Island, Neb.

Journal Tribune, 22 Jul 2015, pg 8
Abbreviated in The Gazette, 16 Jul 2015, 8a