Walter C. Thompson

Walter C. “Tom” Thompson of Boulder passed away Friday evening at his home of 53 years in Boulder. Tom was surrounded by family as he succumbed to a long battle with Cancer and Parkinson's Disease. He was 79.

Tom was born in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1939, to William David and Margaret Lorraine Thompson. Although Tom was a long-time resident of Boulder, Colorado, his legacy is rooted in American history.

His mother was a 9th generation American who could trace her ancestry to John Alden and Priscilla Mullins who arrived in America on the Mayflower in 1620. Their marriage in 1622 was the first marriage to be recorded in the New World. Tom’s paternal grandfather is reputed to have hunted buffalo with William “Buffalo Bill” Cody who had a contract with the Kansas Pacific Railroad to supply buffalo meat to their workers.

After graduating from Kasson-Mantorville High School, Tom joined the United States Air Force and served four years as a Radio Intercept Analyst with the 6984th Radio Squadron Mobile at the Shemya Air Force Base in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. While there he also volunteered as a radio disc jockey broadcasting to American troops and to Russian trawlers lurking offshore.

Returning from active duty, he joined IBM in Rochester in 1962, transferring to Boulder in 1965. He worked on numerous projects at IBM until retiring in 1992. After joining IBM, Tom continued to serve in the Air Force reserves for another 10 years.

He married his first wife, Jeanne in 1964. They had two sons. After Jeanne was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Tom was her devoted caregiver for 25 years until she died in 1995. In 1996, he married Margaret Ann “Meg” Snyder.

The Thompson family RVed for 40 years. It was a major focus as their sons were growing up. They were members of the Family Campers and RVers Club, and Tom served as a FCRV Field Director for 25 years. They were active members of the FCRV’s “Rollin’ Boulders” chapter. For ten years the family wintered at the Western Way RV Resort in Tucson, Arizona, where Tom helped people with their tech issues and was a member of a men’s breakfast club. Other memorable trips were to Alaska and to the British Isles.

Tom was also a member Mt. Hope Lutheran Church, National Rifle Association, Boulder Rifle Club, American Legion, and Rock and Mineral Club. For two years he served on a committee advising the U.S. Forest Service on the redevelopment of Brainard Lake where he advocated for access for the disabled and disadvantaged. His hobbies were shooting sports, cooking, reading, computer skills, and enjoying football as a spectator.

Tom is survived by his wife Meg; brothers David, Robert, and Steven; sisters Jeannine George and Wendy DeBusk; sons Michael Andrew “Mick” and Robert Edward “Rob”; 5 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

Tom considered serving in the military as one of his greatest experiences. While in the Air Force in Alaska, Tom was a member of his unit’s men’s chorus which won the All Alaska Command Choir Competition.

Memorial services will be held Saturday, January 5th at 11:00 AM at Mt. Hope Lutheran Church, 1345 S Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305. Lunch will be served at a reception immediately after.