Paul A Thompson Jr Family

THOMPSON HURST LEEDOM

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 10/18/2010 at 22:18:43

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Paul A Thompson, Jr family
By Judy K Thompson

Paul A Thompson, Jr, was born on September 12, 1940, in Stuart, Martin County, Florida, in the town hotel. He is the oldest child of Paul and Vivian Marjorie (Hurst) Thompson. Paul’s father was in the sawmill business and when Paul was four years old, his father moved the family to Rhine, Dodge County, Georgia.

Paul attended school in Rhine until his senior year in high school when all of the county schools were consolidated. He graduated from Dodge County High School in Eastman in 1958. He attended Southern Technical Institute in Atlanta, Georgia, for two years.

In 1963 after the death of his father, Paul came to Sioux City to visit some friends he had met in Florida. He went to work as a truckdriver for Swifts and alter for Hardegree Sales and Service.

While Paul was in Sioux City, he met and married Judy Kay Leedom. Judy is the youngest child and only daughter of Wiliam Ardene ‘Dean’ and Mable Irene (Hetrick) Leedom. Judy was born in Sioux City on March 14, 1947, at St Joseph Hospital. Judy attended Hobson, Irving, Woodrow Wilson and Central High schools in Sioux City. Paul and Judy were married on August 29, 1964, in The First United Methodist Church of Sioux City by the Rev George G Hunt.

Paul and Judy left Sioux City on August 30, 1964, and moved to Orlando, Orange County, Florida, where Paul went to work as a mechanic. In the summer of 1965 Paul got a job driving truck for a company in Wisconsin. Judy came back to Sioux City for the birth of their first child.

Paul Thompson, III was born on August 31, 1965, at St Joseph Hospital in Sioux City. When ‘Little’ Paul was three weeks old, Judy went to West Bend, Wisconsin, to join her husband. A few months later they moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Paul worked as a mechanic.

Their second child was born in the Lutheran Hospital in Milwaukee on December 14, 1966. They named him Jesse William, after Judy’s father and her maternal uncle, Jesse William Hetrick, who was killed in World War II. In March 1967 they came back to Sioux City to have the baby christened and they decided to stay.

Paul worked as a mechanic for Woolco and Judy worked as a nurses aide. In January 1968 when the temperature was -16 degrees, Paul and Judy moved to Miami, Dade county, Florida. Paul went to work as a parts manager for an aviation company. They rented a house in Davie, Broward county, Florida, about twenty miles north of Miami.

Their third son was born at home on April 16, 1968. They named him John Knox after Paul’s uncle John Knox Thompson.

In January 1969 they bought a commercial fishing boat and worked as a ‘shrimper’ for two years. Their fourth son was born while they lived in Cocoa. They named him Shayne Patrick, and he was born on March 30, 1970.

In December 1970, they moved to Macon, Bibb County, Georgia. Paul worked as a mechanic and Judy worked as a waitress before moving to Gordon, Wilkinson County, Georgia, in the summer of 1973. Paul worked as a mechanic for a pulpwood company.

On January 2, 1974, their first daughter was born. She was born in Macon and they named her Marjorie Irene, using the middle names of her grandmothers. The day Judy brought Jorie home from the hospital, their son, Jesse, came home from school with the mumps. Judy was the only one in the family who had already had the mumps so, of course, everyone caught the mumps! Even Paul’s parents.

On August 1, 1975 their second daughter, Samantha Kay, was born in Milledgeville, Baldwin County, Georgia.

On June 30, 1976, after teaching Bible school, Judy took all the children except for the baby, who was with a sitter, to Macon. On the way to Macon, the engine in their pickup blew up so Judy called Paul to come and get her and the children. They went on into Macon and on the way back home they saw their neighbor lady trying to stop them on the road. She asked if they had all of the kids with them and then she told them their house was on fire. They got back to Gordon to find their house burnt to the ground.

They rented a house in the country near McIntyre, Georgia, and on March 16, 1977, their seventh child was born. Their new son was born in Macon, and they named him, Martin Levere using the middle names of his two step-grandfathers, Ernest Levere Sharpe and Jens Martin Jensen.

In August 1977, they moved to Waterloo, Black Hawk county, Iowa, where Paul went to work for Judy’s brother, Roland Leedom, in his electrical business. They became active in Boy Scouts and were members of Troop 11 and 14. Paul was an assistant scoutmaster and Judy was a Cub Scout den leader.

On September 11, 1978, their eighth child was born in Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa. They named him Tracy Dean using the name of Paul’s cousin, Tracy Griffin, and the nickname of Judy’s father.

In July 1980, Paul and Judy moved to Branford, Suwannee County, Florida. Paul went to work as a carpenter. Paul and Judy remained active in Scouts and their four oldest boys earned many awards and merit badges while they were members of Troop 90.

On November 7, 1980, their ninth child was born in Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida. They named their new daughter, Tiffany Suzanne.

Paul and Judy were active members of The Branford United Methodist Church. Judy and ‘little’ Paul both sang in the choir and ‘Big’ Paul was a member of the Methodist Men’s Group.

In July, 1982, Judy took the children and moved back to Sioux City, with the help of her brother, Frank Leedom, prior to filing for a divorce. Judy is currently enrolled in the legal secretary program at Western Iowa Tech Community College.

Paul went to work as a truck driver for a firm in Denver, Colorado, and later for a trucking firm in Sioux City.