William "Bill" Thompson

William Rodney Willy Bill Tommy Grgr Thompson Jr., 91 of Ulm, passed away peacefully the morning of Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015 from natural causes at his home in Ulm.Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 11, 2015, at Hillcrest Lawn Chapel, 1410 13th Street South, Great Falls, MT. Visitation will begin at noon with funeral service following at 2 p.m. There will be a reception immediately after services. Cremation will occur following services. A small gathering with take place this summer to scatter ashes near his wife's in Glacier Park. Schnider Funeral Home is handling arrangements.Bill was born on March 7, 1924 in Chicago, IL and raised in Duluth, MN where he graduated Duluth Central High in 1942. He served around the globe on a Naval hospital ship (1942-1946) then in the Naval Reserves for the following 5 years. He attended Lawrence College in Appleton, WI and received a BA in English & Literature in 1949 from U of M, Duluth. He then attended NYU Graduate School of Administration until 1951. His career as a Securities Analyst spanned from Motorola and Dupont in NY to Mitchum, Jones & Templeton in San Francisco to DA Davidson in Great Falls. He then retired into a partnership with his son, Thompson & Thompson, Inc. (AAMCO) in Great Falls.After marrying the girl in the next room in 1953 at the Little Church Around the Corner, he lived in East Brunswick and Ringoes, NJ; Diablo, CA; Great Falls and Ulm, MT.Bill, who had a soft spot in his heart for many lost dogs in his lifetime was an avid reader, enjoyed gardening with his wife, listening to Big Band and Elvis Gospel music, dancing, and was very active in politics including serving as President of the Great Falls Pachyderm Club. He was a member of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and also enjoyed watching the sprint and stock car races as well as attending the monthly Class of 1942 Reunion luncheon in Great Falls. He regularly attended many different Protestant churches throughout his life with the most recent being the Ulm Bible Church.Bill is survived by his siblings, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, many nieces, nephews, and extended family members as well as numerous friends and his beloved dog Trucker. Sister & family: Helen Jojo (Joe) Battistelli of Wenatchee, WA; Randy (Sue) Battistelli of Tucson, AZ; Jay Battistelli of Seattle, WA. Brother & family: Robert Nathan (Lavina) Thompson of Winston-Salem, NC; Pamela (David) Anderson of Atlantic, VA; Thomas Thompson of Winston-Salem, NC; Debora Teresak of High Point, NC. Daughters & families: Jennifer Celia Hicks of Great Falls, Jeselle Marie Hicks & Brendan Shanahan & McLure Frankenstein Shanahan of Spokane, WA, Logan Anton Hicks of Great Falls; Marjorie Anne (Bill) Ross of Cascade, MT; Cynthia Ethel (Mike) McCoog of Goodyear, AZ, Amber Rose (Eli) Royal & Violet Rose Royal of Portland, OR. Son & family: William Rodney (Debra Topp) Thompson of Ulm; Heather (Topp) & John Makoski & Caiden Makoski of Great Falls; Sterling & Dayla (Morris) Topp of Colstrip, MT; Emerald Topp of Ulm; Jade Topp of Great Falls. Friends: Eli & Ardell Hofer of Ulm, Bob Loague of Ulm, and many, many others.Bill was preceded in death by his parents, William Rodney (Ethel A. Keyes) Thompson of Duluth, MN, his wife Joyce Johanna (Haugen) of Ulm (April 4, 2011), and nephew Robert Nathan Thompson Jr. of NJ.In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Pet Paw-see, PO Box 6491, Great Falls, MT 59406, www.petpaw-see.com.