Obituary: Thompson, John Wesley
John Wesley Thompson was born on March 22nd, 1921 in San Francisco, CA, the son of John Wesley and Phoebe Gibson Thompson.
As a young boy he lived with his family in Beverly Hills and loved outings to Long Beach.
Returning to San Francisco, he graduated from Galileo High School in 1938 where he was a yell leader.
In 1941 when the U.S. entered World War II, he left his studies at University of California, Berkeley and was commissioned as an officer in the Army Air Corps, serving as an Intelligence Officer, Provost Marshal and Assistant Judge Advocate.
At the conclusion of the war he returned to California, graduating with a Doctor of Juris Prudence from Stanford Law School in 1949.
The day after taking the Bar Exam he left for Paris, France, bought a motorcycle and toured Europe and North Africa.
It was in Paris that he met and fell in love with his beautiful Bostonian wife Betty.
In 1952 they were married in Palo Alto, CA, and he began his private law practice nearby in Sunnyvale.
John believed deeply in giving back to his community and was chairman/president of many civic organizations, including Sunnyvale Council of the Arts, Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce, Sunnyvale Symphony Association, Sunnyvale Community Council, Sunnyvale Lions Club, and Sunnyvale-Cupertino Bar Association.
A lifelong Democrat, he demonstrated his commitment to social justice by working on behalf of the poor.
After practicing law for 60 years, John retired.
He and Betty moved to Spokane, WA to be with their only child Michele and her family.
John loved traveling, fine food, oil painting, camping, the theater, military history, and great literature.
During retirement he rediscovered his love for model railroading.
Following a brief illness, he gently slipped away surrounded by his family.
John will be greatly missed.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Elizabeth (Betty) Thompson; his daughter, Michele Thompson-Holbrook and son-in-law, Dr. Ryan Holbrook; grandchildren, Dr. John Trevor (Rachel and great-grand- daughter Elle), Justin (Ji-Hye), Colin, and Kathryn Holbrook.
Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday, March 3rd, at 1 pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1620 E. 29th Ave., Spokane.
Donations in his memory may be made to Hospice of Spokane or Shriners Hospitals for Children.
To view John’s online memorial, please visit www.hennesseyfuneralhomes.com.