Obituary of L.G. Thompson

Services will be on Saturday in Aptos for Tommy Thompson who passed away in Santa Cruz on March 6, 2013 at the age of 92. He was born in Glen Ellen County South Dakota in the sod home of his parent's 1,100-acre wheat farm. Tommy was the son of Geo C. Thompson and Leora Olsen Thompson and graduated from high school in Amery, Wisconsin. He enlisted in the US Navy when he was 18; graduating from Great Lakes Naval Training Center, in 1939. Tommy served on the USS Tillamook I (Tug Boat) at Mare Island in Vallejo, California. At the outbreak of WW II, he was assigned to US Naval Armed Guard at San Francisco and was stationed on many Merchant Marine oil tankers from there, and later at the end of the war, served on troop transport ships in the Pacific, as Boatswains Mate 1st. He saw action numerous times in all theaters, with his ship and crew decorated as well. Tommy sailed twice around the globe on all seas except the Polar, and at the end of the war, married Mandalie E. Thompson. They settled in the Los Angeles area where his career then began as a journeyman carpenter. He later served as acting captain of El Segundo Fire Department and as building inspector for that city. A resident of Santa Cruz County since 1957, he became a building contractor here in 1959, and retired to Aptos, after building many homes and remodels for clients. Tommy will be missed by his family and many that knew him for the kind, patient, and honorable man that he was, and for his craftsmanship, and his ability to create function and design, in homes. Tommy was preceded in death by his loving wife Mandalie in 2004, and is survived by his son Thorgrun "Tim" Thompson and his daughter Cheri McKowen, two grandchildren Josh Thompson and Sean McKowen. Tommy was also preceded in death by his granddaughter, Rebekah Thompson Roth and is survived by her children Benjamin Bjorn Roth and Abigail Leora Roth, and nephews, Don Stee and Tom Stee and nieces, Diane, Joan and Jean. Services will be on Saturday, March 16, at Calvary Church of Aptos (8065 Valencia Street , Aptos, CA.) beginning at 2:00 p.m.