Tommy Thompson

Charles E. "Tommy" Thompson, 91, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Sunnyvale, Calif., died Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012, at the Missouri Veterans Home.

He was born Sept. 23, 1920, in Benton, Mo., to Samuel Benjamin and Mary Maglen Brown Thompson. He and Annette Dorothy Mule` were married March 29, 1949, in San Jose, Calif. She died in 1995.

Tommy served 20 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring in 1961. He was a veteran of World War II and the Korean conflict.

He was a special blood donor for the American Red Cross.

Tommy was employed by Dynacraft Plastic Co. in Sunnyvale. He was a member of VFW Post 3838 and American Legion Post 63 in Cape Girardeau, and a member of Fleet Association Branch 101 of Mountain View, Calif. In retirement he took great pride in making flag display cases for the families of deceased fellow veterans. He attended St. Denis Catholic Church in Benton and St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau.

Survivors include a son, Thomas Joseph Thompson of Red Bluff, Calif.; a daughter, Ellen Mae Adams of Los Banos, Calif.; a brother, Harold V. Thompson of St. Ann, Mo.; 10 grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife; a son, Richard Allen Thompson; five brothers, James "Lester," "Earsel" Joseph, "Roy" Leo, Charles "Edward" and Earl Sylvester Thompson; four sisters, Mary "Leona" Clifton, Frances "Lucille" Proffer, Clara Isabell's Lieber and Elizabeth J. "Bessie" Sneed.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Ford and Sons Funeral Home in Benton. Parish prayers will be at 6:30 p.m., followed by the rosary.

Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Denis Catholic Church in Benton, with the Rev. Michael Casteel officiating. Full military honors by Missouri Honors Team will be conducted at the church. Burial will be at a later date at Gates of Heaven Cemetery in Los Altos Hills, Calif.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Missouri Veterans Home, 2400 Veterans Memorial Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701.

Online condolences may be made at www.fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.