Greg Thompson

Gregory Paul Thompson
By honoring his final requests, no services will be held for Lamar resident and formerly of Walsh, Greg Thompson.
Per Greg’s request cremation will take place and there will be no visitation.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Walsh Fire Department at P.O. Box 280, Walsh, CO 81090 and/or Lamar Fire and Ambulance at 505 South Main, Lamar, CO, 81052. 
Born in
Denver on February 15, 1948,
Gregory Paul Thompson was the only child of Paul and Dorothy (Hedrick) Thompson.  He was the light of his parents’ lives. 

Until he was eight-years-old, Greg was raised in the little farming town of Walsh, Colorado, where he enjoyed the company of his cousins, grandmother Gertie Thompson and his aunts and uncles.  When business interests and harsh weather dictated a move, Paul and Dorothy left for the Denver area where Greg lived until he graduated from
Cherry
Creek
High School and

University of
Colorado with a degree in finance.  Shortly after graduation from college, Greg was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and he decided to return to Walsh to manage the family farm and ranching business.  While in Walsh, Greg met and married Janeal Wollert of Lamar and they decided to stay in the small town to raise their two sons, Shaugn and Michael. 

Greg was active member of the community by serving on the City Council,

Walsh
Hospital Board and Walsh Recreation Board.  He spent many hours farming, building tennis courts, improving the baseball fields, coaching baseball, golfing and visiting with his farmer friends at the “liar’s table” at Ben’s Cafe. 

After a short stay in Denver after his retirement, Greg returned to
Southeast Colorado and lived in Lamar until his death from complications of multiple sclerosis on April 29th, 2015 at the age of 67.  

Greg was a very generous man and well-liked by his friends and neighbors.  He enjoyed playing with his grandchildren, Chloe, Raya, Crew and Evan, whether it was pretending to be the “evil prince”, playing “tractors” or throwing sponge balls.  He was a devoted fan of the Walsh Eagles, Lamar Savages, Cherry Creek Bruins and the San Diego Padres. He also enjoyed the company of his very special neighbors, Lee and
Tammy Gonzales of Lamar, Colorado.

Greg was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Dorothy (Hedrick) Thompson and his close friend and cousin, Tommy Thompson; his beloved “Grandma Gertie”, his aunt Mildred and uncles Jim and
Sam Thompson. 

He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Janeal (Wollert) Thompson of Lamar, sons Shaugn (Marsha) Thompson of Walsh and Michael (Diane) Thompson of Englewood, Colorado; grandchildren, Chloe, Evan, Raya and Crew.  An aunt, Phyllis Thompson of San Diego, California, mother-in-law, Adeline Wollert of Lamar, brother-in-law Ronald (Suzan) Wollert of Wiley, and step-mother
Iris Thompson of
Indiana, also survive.  Greg also leaves a host of family, friends and neighbors to mourn his passing.

May He Rest in Peace.   

His eldest cousin,
Don Thompson of
Louisiana wrote the following memory of Greg:

              I remember the day Paul and Dorothy brought the baby Greg home.  Dorothy was tearful and excited, my mother Mildred was laughing and excited, our grandma Gertie was reserved and excited.  My brother Tommy was recently born so I already had one baby to deal with and wasn’t much interested in another one.  As the two boys began to grow and walk and play, they were natural playmates.  As sister Susan began to grow older she became the object of the boy’s schemes and pranks.  Our neighbors, the Burson kids got thrown into the mix with Johnny and Leroy being part of the gang.  When the days of drought and dust storms became so severe and Paul and Jim decided to move to
Denver the families began to be more separate than they had been in Walsh.

            As Greg was an only child he developed a different personality from his cousins.  His father was a more sophisticated personality than his brothers, so Greg grew into a more reserved an introspective person than his cousins.  Greg and Tommy were ushers at our wedding and would have been about 15 years old at the time.  Greg and my wife, Judi were always great friends.  Greg came to see Judi at our

Green
Mountain house and thought her tires weren’t very good for the winter.  A few days later he showed up with a set of snow tires (that was a very Paul sort of thing to do).  Judi and Greg would always get out of gatherings to smoke and joke with each other.  Judi was especially fond of Greg and will always remember him as a great and caring friend.

            I have always had great respect with the dignity and humility with which Greg lived his life without concession to his infirmity.  Greg seemed to accept the inevitability of the progression of MS but continue to live his life in such a way as to contribute the most he could as long as he could.  I have deeply felt empathy with his decision to spend his time with care and respect for his loved ones, but alone with his demons to fight.  I don’t know of any other person who displayed such an absence of malice in his life, and possessed a subtle sense of humor that was legendary with all who knew him well but was probably missed by those who did not know him well.

            Now with the passing of Gertie, Paul, Dorothy, Mildred, Tommy, J.N. Sammy and Greg, I find it is a solemn role to play as one of the last surviving of the days of no paved roads and the stewards of the land being of the highest calling.

            Judi and I will always feel the loss of Greg, and be grateful for the time he spent with us.

            With love always,

            Don and
Judi Thompson