Submitted by Fran Olson Gustafson 1965 <fgustafson917@gmail.com> on 13/May/2018 184.101.227.21
Earl M
Thompson 1922 - 2018 - It is with great sadness and deep sorrow that we
share the loss of our beloved Earl Milton Thompson, of Tularosa, on Wednesday,
May 3, 2018. Earl was born in Newburgh, NY, on May 2, 1922 to Charles M. and
Rowena (Tillson) Thompson. Earl is survived by his four sons, Steve and his
girlfriend, Carolyn, of San Diego, CA; Charlie and his wife, Bianca, of San
Francisco, CA; Earl and his wife, Kathryn, of Clifton, VA; and Robert and his
wife, Cindy, of Oceanside, CA. Earl is also survived by his brothers, Charles I
("Bud") Thompson of New Windsor, NY and Raymond ("Ray") W. Thompson of
Brunswick, GA. Earl was preceded in death by his wife of almost 60 years, Julia
("Judy") M. Thompson in 2008, to whom he remained devoted until his passing.
Earl was the proud and loving grandfather of 12 grandchildren: Shannon, 49, of
Point Reyes Station, CA; Paul, 47, of Danville, CA; Erica, 39, and Cristyn, 38,
both of Albuquerque, NM; Matt, 29, of San Diego, CA; Cassidy, 29, and Courtney,
25, both of Prescott, AZ; Julia, 20, and Chip, 19, both of San Francisco, CA;
and Lauren, Alexandra, and William )("Bud"), all 9, of Clifton, VA. He was a
great-grandfather to Christian, 19, Kaylee, 16, and Kai, 13, all of Albuquerque,
NM. Earl was raised in Newburgh, New York where he attended Newburgh Free
Academy. He was class president and graduated in 1940. Earl received his
appointment to the U.S. Military Academy ("USMA"), West Point, N.Y. from The
Honorable Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson. While there, "Tommy", as he was
known to his fellow cadets, "impressed himself indelibly in the hearts of his
classmates by his very likable personality. Quiet and unassuming, he took
everything tossed at him in a calm and efficient manner. His ready smile and
willingness to do anything for a friend ranked him tops on everyone's list", as
recorded in the 1945 edition of "The Howitzer", the year he graduated. This
continued to be a hallmark of his attributes throughout his life. Earl was
commissioned in the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant. He joined the Army Air
Corps in which he flew a variety of airplanes, his favorite being the P-51
"Mustang". He received his Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ("MIT") in 1951. Earl met his
wife, Judy, at Tillson Lake, NY, and they married on August 15, 1948 in New York
City, NY. Their places of residence included Biloxi, MS; Brookline, MA; Eglin
Air Force Base ("AFB") FL; Torrance, CA; Vandenberg AFB, CA; Montgomery, AL; San
Bernardino, CA; Holloman AFB; and Pueblo, CO. They made their permanent
residence in Tularosa, NM in 1980. Earl retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1975
as a Colonel after a distinguished 30 year career. His last duty assignment was
as Commander, 6585th Test Group, Holloman AFB. He then embarked on a second
career with Dynalectron ("DynCorp") serving in a variety of roles, the last
being Division Manager of the Radar Backscatter Facility ("RATSCAT"), at which
time he retired for the 2nd time in 1993. Immediately following Earl's second
retirement, Earl and Judy became quite the world-travelers. They took cruises to
Alaska, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and three trips through Panama Canal. They
traveled to exotic locales including Morocco, Portugal, El Salvador, Columbia,
Chile, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Alaska, Gibraltar, England, and Scotland.
Earl and Judy also visited Italy, Australia, and New Zealand several times each.
They made Mazatlan, Mexico, a temporary home for several weeks each year,
including a fabulous 50th wedding anniversary celebration in 1998 with sons,
wives, grandchildren, great grandchildren and other close relatives. This was
one of the major highlights, and one of the most memorable trips to honor the
lineage of the Earl and Judy Thompson clan. Earl was loved and respected by all.
His integrity as a person and his devotion to his friends and community will be
a lasting legacy. He will forever be missed, and the family spirit that he
cultivated and nurtured will continue into perpetuity. Father, Grandfather,
Great-grandfather, friend, we miss you deeply, and we will love you forever! A
viewing is scheduled from 4pm-9pm on Thursday May 17, 2018 at Hamilton-O'Dell
Funeral Home in Alamogordo. A scripture service will be held at 10am on
Saturday, May 19th, at Saint Francis de Paula Church, 750 Saint Francis Drive in
Tularosa. Immediately following the service, a military honors burial, to
include folding and presenting the United States burial flag and the playing of
Taps, is scheduled at the Tularosa Fairview Cemetery. A reception celebrating
the life of Earl Thompson will be held following the scripture service at 1pm at
Casa de Suenos Restaurant, 35 Saint Francis Drive, Tularosa. Should anyone
desire, contributions in memory of Earl M. Thompson may be made to the Saint
Francis de Paula Church, Tularosa, NM. Memorial envelopes are also available at
the funeral home. To send condolences to the family or sign the online guest
book, please visit
www.hamilton-odell.com
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Earl M
Thompson 1922 - 2018 - It is with great sadness and deep sorrow that we
share the loss of our beloved Earl Milton Thompson, of Tularosa, on Wednesday,
May 3, 2018. Earl was born in Newburgh, NY, on May 2, 1922 to Charles M. and
Rowena (Tillson) Thompson. Earl is survived by his four sons, Steve and his
girlfriend, Carolyn, of San Diego, CA; Charlie and his wife, Bianca, of San
Francisco, CA; Earl and his wife, Kathryn, of Clifton, VA; and Robert and his
wife, Cindy, of Oceanside, CA. Earl is also survived by his brothers, Charles I
("Bud") Thompson of New Windsor, NY and Raymond ("Ray") W. Thompson of
Brunswick, GA. Earl was preceded in death by his wife of almost 60 years, Julia
("Judy") M. Thompson in 2008, to whom he remained devoted until his passing.
Earl was the proud and loving grandfather of 12 grandchildren: Shannon, 49, of
Point Reyes Station, CA; Paul, 47, of Danville, CA; Erica, 39, and Cristyn, 38,
both of Albuquerque, NM; Matt, 29, of San Diego, CA; Cassidy, 29, and Courtney,
25, both of Prescott, AZ; Julia, 20, and Chip, 19, both of San Francisco, CA;
and Lauren, Alexandra, and William )("Bud"), all 9, of Clifton, VA. He was a
great-grandfather to Christian, 19, Kaylee, 16, and Kai, 13, all of Albuquerque,
NM. Earl was raised in Newburgh, New York where he attended Newburgh Free
Academy. He was class president and graduated in 1940. Earl received his
appointment to the U.S. Military Academy ("USMA"), West Point, N.Y. from The
Honorable Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson. While there, "Tommy", as he was
known to his fellow cadets, "impressed himself indelibly in the hearts of his
classmates by his very likable personality. Quiet and unassuming, he took
everything tossed at him in a calm and efficient manner. His ready smile and
willingness to do anything for a friend ranked him tops on everyone's list", as
recorded in the 1945 edition of "The Howitzer", the year he graduated. This
continued to be a hallmark of his attributes throughout his life. Earl was
commissioned in the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant. He joined the Army Air
Corps in which he flew a variety of airplanes, his favorite being the P-51
"Mustang". He received his Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ("MIT") in 1951. Earl met his
wife, Judy, at Tillson Lake, NY, and they married on August 15, 1948 in New York
City, NY. Their places of residence included Biloxi, MS; Brookline, MA; Eglin
Air Force Base ("AFB") FL; Torrance, CA; Vandenberg AFB, CA; Montgomery, AL; San
Bernardino, CA; Holloman AFB; and Pueblo, CO. They made their permanent
residence in Tularosa, NM in 1980. Earl retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1975
as a Colonel after a distinguished 30 year career. His last duty assignment was
as Commander, 6585th Test Group, Holloman AFB. He then embarked on a second
career with Dynalectron ("DynCorp") serving in a variety of roles, the last
being Division Manager of the Radar Backscatter Facility ("RATSCAT"), at which
time he retired for the 2nd time in 1993. Immediately following Earl's second
retirement, Earl and Judy became quite the world-travelers. They took cruises to
Alaska, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and three trips through Panama Canal. They
traveled to exotic locales including Morocco, Portugal, El Salvador, Columbia,
Chile, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Alaska, Gibraltar, England, and Scotland.
Earl and Judy also visited Italy, Australia, and New Zealand several times each.
They made Mazatlan, Mexico, a temporary home for several weeks each year,
including a fabulous 50th wedding anniversary celebration in 1998 with sons,
wives, grandchildren, great grandchildren and other close relatives. This was
one of the major highlights, and one of the most memorable trips to honor the
lineage of the Earl and Judy Thompson clan. Earl was loved and respected by all.
His integrity as a person and his devotion to his friends and community will be
a lasting legacy. He will forever be missed, and the family spirit that he
cultivated and nurtured will continue into perpetuity. Father, Grandfather,
Great-grandfather, friend, we miss you deeply, and we will love you forever! A
viewing is scheduled from 4pm-9pm on Thursday May 17, 2018 at Hamilton-O'Dell
Funeral Home in Alamogordo. A scripture service will be held at 10am on
Saturday, May 19th, at Saint Francis de Paula Church, 750 Saint Francis Drive in
Tularosa. Immediately following the service, a military honors burial, to
include folding and presenting the United States burial flag and the playing of
Taps, is scheduled at the Tularosa Fairview Cemetery. A reception celebrating
the life of Earl Thompson will be held following the scripture service at 1pm at
Casa de Suenos Restaurant, 35 Saint Francis Drive, Tularosa. Should anyone
desire, contributions in memory of Earl M. Thompson may be made to the Saint
Francis de Paula Church, Tularosa, NM. Memorial envelopes are also available at
the funeral home. To send condolences to the family or sign the online guest
book, please visit 