- Date Of Birth: September 18, 1922
- Date Of Death: December 23, 2010
- State: Indiana
John J. Thompson, 88, a proud veteran and devoted husband and father died Thursday, December 23, 2010. He was born in Washington, IN to parents Earl and Eugenia Thompson.
He graduated from Washington Catholic High School and he attended St. Joseph College. During World War II he served in the US Army’s Ordinance Supply Division attached to the 82nd and 101st Airborne. He stormed the beaches of Normandy and was awarded a Bronze Star in the Battle of the Bulge. Of the many stories John had to tell, one of the most intriguing was of his unit getting mixed in with German troops while moving at night.
John was in the lead jeep that caught up to a German convoy. Upon hearing the Germans he quieted and slowed his convoy. They faded back and went totally unnoticed by the Germans. On August 28, 1948 he married Helen Jane Hayes, also of Washington, IN. They moved to Bloomington where John worked for 30 years as the manager of the Credit office for Ralph Rogers Co., Rogers Building Supplies and Rogers Group.
John is survived by his five children, John E. Thompson, Boston, MA; Genie (Steve) LeBeau, Loveland, CO; Joe (Abbie) Thompson, Danville, IL; Bill (Kathy) Thompson, Bloomington, IN and Alice (Jim) Galvach, Mesa, AZ. Eleven grandchildren, Mike (Celine) LeBeau, Estes Park, CO; Michelle (McCrea Cobb) LeBeau, Kodiak, AK; Mason LeBeau, Amy Thompson, Chicago, IL; Andy Thompson, Champaign, IL; Casey, Tyler and Mick Thompson, Bloomington, IN and Nick and Kristen Galvach, Mesa, AZ. One great granddaughter, Colette LeBeau, Estes Park, CO. Sister, Eleanor McCammack, St. Peteresburg, FL. He was preceded in death by his wife, Helen, in July 2010, his parents and a sister, Jean Thompson.
