Dean Thompson


ROY/RIVERDALE – I died the, 13th of April, 2011 at the age of 79. I had the very good fortune to have great parents, Frank and Glenda Thompson, and a good brother, Gary.

I was born October 13, 1931 in Ogden and lived most of my life in Roy. I had a happy but unremarkable childhood and graduated from Weber High where I occasionally appeared on programs as a marimba soloist.

I served an L.D.S. Mission in the Central Atlantic States, and served in the U.S. Army Second Infantry Division Band. I graduated from B.Y.U. and received a Master's Degree from the University of Utah.

I taught at Ben Lomond High for thirty years with some great faculty members and school administrators.

The people I enjoyed the most, however, were my students who were willing to endure my jokes for the opportunity to learn a little biology or physiology. Teaching also gave me the lifetime opportunity to study science and to try to keep up with the tidal wave of discoveries in the 20th century.

I enjoyed church activity, but my attempts to add a little bit of life and humor to the prescribed lesson material got mixed reviews, and it was difficult to be an L.D.S. Democrat.

At BYU, I fell in love with JoAnn Peterson, and I got leave from the Army to marry her the day she graduated. We had a great life together and raised four lovely daughters. We lived a simple life, but the one vice we shared was our lust for travel. We visited over thirty foreign countries, and I taught biology in Lima, Peru for three years. Later we both taught English as a second language in China for two years.

JoAnn died of cancer in 2003. Life without her was lonely and difficult.

When I finished teaching I turned to writing. I wrote my biography and personal histories of thirty-four of my ancestors. This made me appreciate my heritage, but it made me wonder what happened to the family gene pool when I came along. Following JoAnn's death I wrote her biography and then personal histories of forty-eight of her ancestors. I don't know what caused me to write. Perhaps I liked to see my name on book covers.

Along the way, I started doing stand-up comedy, and I enjoyed many fun evenings at Laff's Comedy Café and other places. In my later years I enjoyed playing my marimba at care centers and in ward sacrament meetings.

Surviving are my brother, Gary Thompson of Riverdale, Utah; and four daughters, DeAnn (Scott) Jones of Providence, Utah; Elaine (Jeff) Jones of Gilbert, Arizona; Eileen (Joel) Frederiksen of Roy; and Jodean (Adam) Child of Riverdale; and 16 grandchildren. I was preceded in death by JoAnn and our infant son, Mark Alan Thompson.

Funeral services will be held Monday, April 18, 2011 at 1 p.m. at the Riverdale 3rd Ward Building, 1056 West 4400 South, Riverdale. A viewing for family and friends will be held Sunday at Myers Roy Mortuary, 5865 South 1900 West from 6 to 8 p.m. and Monday at the church from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. prior to services.

Others may file past the casket to make sure that I am dead.

The family would like to thank the doctors and staff at Ogden Regional Medical Center and Alpine Hospice for their loving care.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Anne's Shelter, 137 Binford, Ogden, Utah 84401

Interment, Roy City Cemetery.