LOWELL: John Russell Thompson, 89, died Thursday, July 13, 2006, at Saints Memorial Medical Center in Lowell.
Born May 2, 1917, in Buffalo, N.Y., he was the son of the late Russell E. and Jessie L. (Taylor) Thompson of Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada.
For more than 50 years, Mr. Thompson lived in Lowell- all in the same home. There, he and his wife, the late Margaret O. (Holmes) Thompson, raised their two children, Richard J. Thompson and Joan M. (Thompson) Mello. Margaret Thompson died in 1977.
Before John Thompson retired at 80 years old, he worked for the City of Lowell at the Wastewater Treatment Facility at Duck Island for nearly 30 years, where he managed the parts department.
Mr. Thompson was raised in Fort Erie, Ontario, attending the schools there and graduating from Fort Erie High School.
Upon graduation, he moved to Buffalo, NY, and joined the U.S. Army Medical Corps, serving in the South Pacific during World War II. He was awarded several decorations- the American Defense Service Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Service Medal, a Good Conduct Medal, the World War II Victory Medal and a Combat Medical Badge.
Mr. Thompson was honorably discharged from active duty on August 19, 1945 at the rank of Staff Sergeant.
Following his service in the military, Mr. Thompson attended the Franklin Institute in Boston, where he studied drafting. The school is now called the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology.
Since 1978, Mr. Thompson was a professional grandfather, attending such events as hockey games, flute recitals, track meets, and high school and college graduations.
A 50 year member of the Masonic Fraternity, he belonged to three lodges- St. Paul Lodge in Ashby, where he served as Master in 1959; Wamesit Lodge in Tewksbury; and Merrimack Valley Daylight Lodge in North Andover. He was a 32nd-Degree Mason, holding membership in the Scottish Rite bodies in Lowell and Massachusetts Consistory in Boston. He was also a Shrine-Mason and a member of the Aleppo Temple Shrine in Wilmington. Mr. Thompson served in the Aleppo Temple Shrine’s Legion of Honor, a unit made up of military veterans.
He was a life member of American legion Post No. 247 of Tyngsboro.
Mr. Thompson is survived by one son; Richard J. Thompson and his wife Janet L. (Penney) of Chelmsford; one daughter; Joan M. Mello and her husband Charles A. of
Springfield; one sister; Lois (Thompson) Hudd of Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada; five grandchildren; Shelley J. Thompson of Derry, NH, Jarrod R. Thompson of Chelmsford, Norma (Mello) Santiago and her husband Raynaldo of Meridian, Conn., Rhonda Mello of Springfield, and Michelle Mello of New Hampshire; three great grandchildren; Sarah and Jeffrey Santiago both of Meridan, Conn., and Sean Scheffer of New Hampshire; his longtime companion; Annette Holroyd of Lowell; also numerous nieces and nephews.
Mr. Thompson was predeceased by his brothers Ross, Bruce and Russell Thompson all formerly of Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada.
Calling hours Monday, July 17th, 4-8 p.m., at the Farmer & Dee Funeral Home, 16 Lee St., Tewksbury. Funeral service Tuesday, July 18th, 11 a.m., at the funeral home. Interment at Edson Cemetery, Lowell. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children, c/o Aleppo Temple Shrine, 99 Fordham Rd., Wilmington, MA 01887-0578