Donald Thompson

Donald F. Thompson, age 95, of Battle Creek, will be sorely missed by his family and friends following his passing on Thursday, December 14, 2017. Don was born in Battle Creek, Michigan on August 20, 1922 to John and Dora (Smith) Thompson of Manchester, England. He attended Battle Creek schools, on occasion as he would say, with his sister Beverly and brother Jack. His mother said that Don’s greatest talents were in finding ways to skip school, fishing and raising Cain with his brother. Don joined the U.S. Marine Corps on December 8, 1941 serving with his buddies, who remained life-long friends, in combat throughout the South Pacific until the war ended. Following WWII, Don was employed by the Kellogg Company where he met the love of his life, Emma Jean Brenner. Jean’s nine brothers and sisters were amazing people and Don came to enjoy and love all the musically talented Brenner’s. Don enjoyed building retail businesses, especially when they involved food. His businesses all promoted his great capacity to make people laugh, feel welcomed and loved. They included Green Gardens Fruit Markets, Country Boy Drive-In, The Buckingham Inn and others. Don and Jean’s ventures benefitted from Jean’s friendliness, accounting skills and common sense. Their family businesses provided employment to over two thousand local residents. He and Jean loved and respected their employees as much as their many patrons. This and their love and respect for each other was the key to their success. Don loved to tell stories and he rarely allowed the truth to disturb an otherwise happy or interesting ending. He was best known for his amazingly positive attitude that he seemed to maintain at all times, even up to his last days. He enjoyed spending time with and entertaining his grandchildren with stories, and instructing them to study, work hard and save for a rainy day. Don is survived by his daughters: Linda (Paul) Weiss and Beverly (Mike) Lewis; sons: John (Kathy) Thompson and Dave (Linda) Thompson; 16 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Don and his family are grateful for the support and loyal friendship so many in the community provided him these past 95 years. They would also like to thank the staff at Reflections Memory Care, V.A. Medical Center and Dr. Ben Smith for their excellent care over the past several years. A special thank you to Amy, RN with Grace Hospice for her wonderful care and support. The family will receive friends at the Richard A. Henry Funeral Home on Thursday, April 26, 2018 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. A Memorial Service will be held 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 27, 2018 at St. Mark Lutheran Church with private interment at Fort Custer National Cemetery. www.henryfuneralhome.org