Larry A. Thompson

THOMPSON, WORDEN, MCBROOM

Posted By: Valerie Thompson (email)
Date: 8/5/2017 at 15:09:32

Larry “Red” Arthur Thompson, salesman and professional photographer, died Wednesday, Aug 2, 2017. He was 81. Along with an ailing heart, he had pancreatic cancer, spending his final days at the Taylor hospice center of Des Moines.

Larry’s red hair came from his maternal Worden-McBroom line, while he inherited his 6-foot-1 frame and twinkling eyes from his paternal Thompson line. He was the second child born to Dorothy and Wayne Thompson in Humeston, Iowa, April 14, 1936. He grew up on the family farm, and graduated from Seymour High School in 1954. Playing tuba in the school band, he developed a love for orchestral music, favoring Montavani.

During his early career at Rath Meat Packing Co, Larry’s sales territory included a stop in Colfax, where he met his bride-to-be Charlotte Sufficool. They celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary Oct 3, 2016. Larry’s 30-year career as a salesman. from 1954 to 1984, took the family from Des Moines to Lees’s Summit, Kansas City, and Springfield, Mo. They enjoyed camping and boating across the Midwest, in addition to fishing for Walleye and Northern Pike in Canada, and camping in the bayous of Louisiana.

Although it started as a hobby, Larry took quiet pride in being a self-taught photographer, and made life-long friendships with photographers across Iowa and Missouri. He started Thompson Photography in Ankeny 1977, and went into photography full time by 1984. A favored event was his photog drive from Iowa to California, culminating in a meeting with Ansel Adams.

During his retirement years, Larry enjoyed the Arizona desert, and spent several years as a snow bird in Apache Junction, AZ, shooting at targets, looking for precious metals, and making bullets. Back in Ankeny, he and his wife Charlotte would cruise to Porky’s in their classic ‘57 Mercury Montclair.

Larry was preceded in death by his father Wayne Verl Thompson, brothers Bill and Jerry, son Brett, and son- in-law Mamadou Sissoko.

He is survived by his mother Dorothy (Worden) Thompson, wife Charlotte (Sufficool) Thompson, sister Wanda Childers of Pueblo, Co, daughters Valerie Thompson of St. Louis, Mo, and Theresa Carter of Glendale, Az, sister-in-law Linda (Barker) Sufficool, and nieces Leslie (Sufficool) Malcom, Jeri Kay Thompson of Elkader, Ia, and Doris Newport of Aukland, New Zealand.

Per Larry’s wishes, internment will be at Colfax Highland Cemetery, sans ceremony.