Donald Dean Thompson
Dec 3, 1932 - Oct 4, 2015
Posted by: Jo Aguirre
Heaven’s Mat Awaits: Donald Dean Thompson was born in Perry,
Oklahoma on Dec 3, 1932. He passed away suddenly, on Friday, October 4, 2015,
while seated at the dining table of Sandpiper Bay Health Care Center in Wichita,
Ks.
Donnie was one of Oklahoma’s Champions on the wrestling mat. He graduated in
1950 as a Perry Maroon Wrestling State Champ and went on to attend OSU from 1952
– 1954. In 1954, he took 2nd place at the 24th NCAA Wrestling Tournament at
Oklahoma, in the 147 weight class. When asked in his later years – “If you had
your life to live over again, what would you do differently?”, and without any
pause for thought he quickly replied “I'd pin Tommy Evans”.
While studying, and wrestling, at OSU he earned a degree in Agronomy, and
married Jeanie Bross. They had three children; Jon, Jayne, and Cindy. After
eleven years, the marriage ended in divorce. Over the course of his life, he
married two more times to which no children were born.
After college, he served two years as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army
- Corps of Engineers.
Donnie was a humble man; the kind who would give the shirt off his back to
someone that needed it. He didn't care about money; he cared about people. He
was the kind of man who would tip a down and out waitress $50 for a cup of
coffee. His kindness and compassion for others may have stemmed from his own
struggles with anxiety, depression and instability. He was driven by a wandering
spirit, and had difficulty staying in one place or working a steady job. The
first line of his favorite poem described his inner life; “I wandered lonely as
a cloud…”, yet he found beauty in the world around him and “…danced with the
daffodils”.
He loved the outdoors, especially in the states along the Continental Divide,
where he loved to hike, fish, swim, chop wood, and camp out. He also loved
recalling the names and memories from his Wrestling days - Coaches (John Divine,
and Art Griffith), and fellow wrestlers (Gene Nicks, Ned Blass, Myron Roderick,
Danny Hodge, and others).
In 1998 he relocated from Farmington, NM, to Wichita, Ks, where he lived with
his daughter - Jayne, and spent the last three years of his life, as a resident
at Sandpiper Bay.
He is preceded in death by; his mother and father - Gladys and Kenneth Thompson,
sister - Mariella, brother - Lyell, and son - Jon.
And, is survived by: his brother's, Jack of Perry, Ok, and Gene of Seagraves, Tx, daughters - Jayne and Cindy, nieces, nephews, eight grandchildren, and 9 great grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him, and will be quietly laid to rest beside his parents and sister at Grace Hill Cemetery in Perry Ok.
There will be no funeral services, but condolences & memories can be posted online at www.perrycares.com.
This site may be freely linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent.
All rights reserved! Commercial use of material within this site is prohibited!
© 2000-2024 Oklahoma CemeteriesThe information on this site is provided free for the purpose of researching your genealogy. This material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, for your own research, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The information contained in this site may not be copied to any other site without written "snail-mail" permission. If you wish to have a copy of a donor's material, you must have their permission. All information found on these pages is under copyright of Oklahoma Cemeteries. This is to protect any and all information donated. The original submitter or source of the information will retain their copyright. Unless otherwise stated, any donated material is given to Oklahoma Cemeteries to make it available online. This material will always be available at no cost, it will always remain free to the researcher.