Gregory G. Thompson

Greg was born on August 5, 1950, to Wayne M. and Doris E. Thompson in Aberdeen, SD. The family moved several times and landed in Spokane, WA in 1963. He graduated five years later from Lewis and Clark High School and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was especially thrilled to be aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hornet when it picked up the astronauts returning from the Apollo 10 & 11 missions to the moon. When his time in the Navy came up in conversation, Greg never hesitated to say it was his greatest adventure, visiting five continents and such ports of call as Greece, Portugal, Morocco, Cuba, Philippines, and Vietnam. It was en route to Singapore that the Hornet crossed the equator, marking Greg’s rite of passage from pollywog to shellback. While on leave from the USS Rigel in Norfolk, he met the love of his life, Dorothy (Dot) Fisher, through close friends in Cumberland, MD.

He began his career in the lumber business with Buchanan Lumber in Cumberland. Greg and Dot married in 1973, and soon after followed other family to settle in N. Ft. Myers, FL. After several years at Walker Builder Supply he moved on to Naples Lumber. Over the course of his 25-year tenure, he ran their Fort Myers lumber yard for several years but ultimately decided to work in Naples directly with clients in sales. With his affable nature and great sense of humor, he formed friendships with coworkers and clients that lasted for decades.

Greg & Dot took to the Florida lifestyle, spending time at the beach. They became great fishing buddies, casting their lines from the Matlacha Bridge and later from their flats boat in search of redfish and snook in the Pine Island area. After Jeremy was born in 1978, the family of three had fun together camping out at bluegrass festivals, rooting for Larry Bird and the Celtics, playing basketball in the driveway, and rocking out to their collection of vinyl. When he’d had enough chatter, Greg would go on walks down their dirt road with their dog at his side. He was an avid pool player and a good one, at that. The Miscue was his favorite spot, where, as a regular since the ‘70s, he played one-pocket with friends and competed in the occasional tournament. He was a voracious reader and lover of spy novels, capable of blowing through two books a week (although this dipped a bit after his discovery of VR pinball).

He is survived by his loving wife, Dorothy Thompson (née Fisher); his son Jeremy Thompson of Apopka, FL, and wife Hope (née Wymer), and their daughter Anneliese.

He is also survived by his brothers: Geffrey Thompson of Coeur d’Alene, ID, and his son Jason of Columbia Falls, MT (wife Lindsay; children Isabella, Bowman, and Camas Joy); Griffin Thompson of Chicago, IL (wife Carmen, née Rojas; daughter Camila); and Garrick Thompson of Spokane, WA (wife Colleen; son Rhett Lashbrook, wife Robyn, sons River and Tru).

His sister, Tracy Wangen of Beaverton, OR, also survives him, along with her son Jonathan of Beaverton (wife Tara; daughters Isabelle and Emerson) and her daughter Courtney Galyon of Beaverton (husband Craig; children Callahan and Cecelia).

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation (t2t.org) or a charity of your choice.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated for Greg at 10:30 AM on Saturday, October 25th at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 13031 Palm Beach Blvd, Fort Myers, FL 33905.