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Richard Thompson Obituary

Published by Legacy Remembers on Mar. 16, 2013.

RICHARD THOMPSON BIOGRAPHY


Dick Thompson was born on September 14, 1940, in Riverside, IL, to Ray and Alice Thompson as an only child. Longetivity ran in Dick's family with his mother passing at the age of 93 and his father passing only 7 years ago at the age of 100. After graduating from Riverside High School in 1958, Dick obtained his undergraduate degree in physics at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, IN, in 1962 and went on to earn his PhD in physics at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, OH.

Dick met his first wife, Virginia Kapo, at Case Western Reserve where she received her masters' degree in biology and his oldest daughter, Cybele, was born in Cleveland in 1967, the same year Dick received his PhD.

Immediately upon graduation, the new family moved to Gainesville, FL, where Dick taught physics and calculus at the University of Florida and the couple gave birth to their second child, Rich Thompson, in 1969.

Dick was then offered a position at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, NM, which is one of two laboratories in the U.S. where classified work towards the design of nuclear weapons is undertaken and the laboratory is birthplace to the infamous Manhattan Project from World War II.

While at the laboratory, Dick authored several published scientific treatises including " Simple Model for the Bremsstrahlung Process", "One-Pion-Exchange-Current Contribution to Neutron-Proton Bremsstrahlung", and "Relativistic Calculation of Nucleon-Nucleon Phase Parameters". We have copies if anyone can tell us what they mean!

Dick subsequently taught physics and calculus at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, and landed in Maryland as a physicist working for NASA in the mid-70s.

It was at NASA that Dick met MaryAnne Coakley, his second wife, whom he married in 1977 and they were together for over 30 years. Dick's third child, Mike Thompson, was born in 1979 and his fourth child, Sarah Iriarte, was born in 1984.

Dick finished his career with over 20 years spent at the Central Intelligence Agency where his work was generally classified. However, we do know that he worked on a team of 4 men who developed the first GPS system used by the CIA to surveil suspects and which system was the predecessor to all the GPS systems we see in commercial use today.

While at the CIA, Dick earned a number of awards which were classified and referenced "Leadership on Projects of Significance", which will remain a mystery as to their exact nature.

More recently, Dick was proud to be a grandfather to Gabe and Maia Thompson, twins born to Rich Thompson in 2000, and to Waverly Iriarte, born to Sarah Iriarte in 2007.

Dick's hobbies included hiking, four wheeling in the mountains of Colorado, trains, and driving tours of the United States.

Dick attended his 40th reunion at Rose-Hulman Institute in 2002 and bought a t-shirt from the school at that time. For the following 10 years, he was known to either wear his Rose-Hulman t-shirt or his Marines t-shirt which he bought during his son, Mike's, enlistment. If you look at photos of him in the last 10 years, he is always wearing one of those shirts.

Dick lived in San Diego for the past year and suffered a long illness, featuring dementia and Parkinson's disease, over the past five years which drew his four children together in a joint effort to care for him and bring him comfort in his final days. At the young age of 72, Dick passed on to his next adventure on March 16, 2013, and will be dearly missed by everyone whose lives he touched. In his multiple visits to San Diego over the years, he made many friends locally who will also miss his company.

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Not sure what to say?

August 12, 2013

Ullanda Azo

May your soul rest in peace and i will always have you in my heart. You were a great father in law. I will always love you.

June 23, 2013

Carl Reeder

Dear Mike, Sarah, and MaryAnne,
It is with heavy hearts that we offer our condolences to you. We have just learned of Dick's passing and were saddened by the news. We were his neighbors from 1997 until he relocated to San Diego.

The Reeder Family

April 15, 2013

Kevin Jardaneh

Dear Butch and Cybele,
My condolences for your loss. I knew you both when we were kids in McIntosh, Florida. I lived with Pop behind the train station. It's an interesting path our lives take.

March 25, 2013

Don Montell

Cybele & Family -
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your father. Please accept my most sincere condolences. Your father was a delightful man and I am happy I had the opportunity to know him.
All of you will be in my thoughts and prayers.

March 22, 2013

Jill Leibowitz

Cybele,
I am thinking of you and your family at your time of loss. I hope you find strength in the good moments you shared.

March 19, 2013

Bonnie Preston

Cybele, I'm so sorry to hear about your father. My thoughts are with you and your family.

March 19, 2013

Dear Cybele, I am very sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you.



Gary Reynolds (San Diego. CA)

March 19, 2013

Alex & Christina Stewart

Dear Cybele,
Both Christina and I are very saddened to hear of your loss.

March 18, 2013

Mindy Fogg

Clearly we have a lost an amazing and brilliant man. Cybele, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

March 18, 2013

Lisa Gualco

Dear Cybele and family,
I am so glad I was able to get to know your father over these last few years. I will treasure our time together in Philadelphia and the intimate dinners Cybele hosted where we got to know each other better. My thoughts and prayers are with you all now and you took such fantastic care of your father these last couple of years. You showed great car and compassion.

Many blessings,

March 18, 2013

Jennifer Steger

Dear Richard,

I wish I'd had the chance to meet you in person, though I feel I know you through the loving stories shared with me by Cybele. Thank you for sharing her with us. I am truly blessed to be one of her friends. Your gifts live on in your family.

March 18, 2013

Dear Cybele, May fond memories embrace you and your family and help to bring peace to all of you.
Myrna Tenenbaum

March 17, 2013

Catalina Hornido

Michael and Family,
My deepest sympathy to the family. May he rest in peace. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

March 17, 2013

Catalina Hornido

Michael and Family,
My deepest sympathy to the family, may he rest in peace. Your are in my thoughts and prayers.

March 17, 2013

Linda Maskovich

Richard, you will long be remembered by your beautiful family and the heritage you left. Thank you for Cybele. You gave us a kind and gentle soul who will always represent the best in you.

March 17, 2013

Dear Cybele and family,
May you always remember the fond memories as your father looks down on you from heaven. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Best regards, Cindi Langendoen

Showing 1 - 16 of 16 results

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