William E "Bill" Thompson
Marriages
Zelda
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 7B Death Notice - April 27, 2016
William E. Thompson, 89, Grand Junction, died April 23, 2016,
at Mesa Manor.
He was a physicist.
Survivors include two sons, Rodney A., and Jay M.; and four
grandchildren.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 7B Obituary - April 27, 2016
William E. Thompson
March 13, 1927 - April 23, 2016
William "Bill" E. Thompson
died April 23, 2016, after a
short stay in hospice in Grand
Junction. He was 89.
He was born on March 13,
1927, in Red Oak, Iowa. After
graduating from high school,
Bill enlisted in the Navy just
prior to the end of World War
II. After being discharged in
1946, he attended the
University of Nebraska where he earned a BS in Geology.
Following graduation, he worked for the USGS in Wyoming
and Colorado. In Holyoke, Colorado, he met his future wife,
Zelda, at the local bank.
Following a second stint in the Navy during the Korean War,
Bill married Zelda and earned a Master’s Degree in Nuclear
Physics from the University of Iowa. His job took him to San
Francisco where he worked as a civilian for the Navy at the
Hunter’s Point shipyard in San Francisco Bay researching
radiation effects on battleships.
They settled in Pacifica, California, where their two sons were
born. In 1969, the family moved across the country to Silver
Spring, Maryland following a job transfer for Bill. The
remainder of his career was spent working for the Food and
Drug Administration developing early mammography units that
took the best possible images while delivering minimal
radiation.
Upon retirement in 1986, Bill and Zelda returned to Colorado
and settled in Grand Junction. Retirement was filled with
numerous cruises, world travels, duplicate bridge, and lots of
new friends in their new home. Bill was active in Grand
Junction as a member of the Newcomer’s Club, at the local
classical radio station, and as a member of the symphony board.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, and wife,
Zelda.
Bill is survived by his sons, Rodney of Grand Junction; Jay
(Therese) of Lakewood; daughter-in-law, Donna of Florida, and
four grandsons.
Cremation has taken place and there are no services.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Grand Junction
Symphony.
