Funeral services for Roy Thompson, 94, of Mobridge will be at 11 AM, Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at the Family Worship Center in Mobridge. Burial will be at the Mobridge City Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. Visitation will be from 3-5 PM Tuesday at the funeral home with a prayer service at 7 PM at the church. Roy passed away Thursday, December 15, 2016, at the Golden Living Center in Mobridge.

Roy Thompson, 94, currently of Mobridge, SD, passed away peacefully on December 15, 2016.

Roy was born on May 12, 1922, in Sioux County, ND on the homestead of his Norwegian parents, Hans and Selma Thompson. As the middle of five children, Roy's childhood was filled with memories of swimming in the Cedar River, riding horse, and sledding in the winter on sleds his father made for them. Trips to Wisconsin in the Model T were times of getting to know his extended family, even though it was a 3-day journey to get there.

When the depression hit the ND farm in the 1930s, Roy left home at age 14 to work on a farm in Minnesota, earning $12 a month tilling every day with horses and a 2-bottom plow. In the winter he helped his father trap beaver and mink in order to sell the pelts for income. When Roy was to begin high school, he traveled alone to Tekoe, Washington, where his father then worked. He had arranged for Roy to work for Mr. Elliott for room and board. Roy was there for three years and formed a life-long friendship with the Elliotts, who treated him like a son. Even at this early age, Roy's tendency to "hot rod" was evident when he quickly wore out the tires on his bicycle by spinning out on the ice on the creek. He had discovered that riding to school on the creek was faster than on the road.

Roy returned to SD for his senior year of high school in Gettysburg, SD, planning to stay with his older brother Alvin, who was a pastor there at the time. However, Alvin moved soon after Roy arrived, and Roy finished his senior year living in a boarding house, graduating in 1941.

Following graduation, he and two friends went to Omaha, NB where they trained to do sheet metal work. They found jobs at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach, CA, where he worked until he joined the Navy during WWII. After his basic training at Camp Farragut, Idaho, he did further training in Norman OK, and then, because of his background in building airplanes, he was stationed for the duration of the war in Jacksonville, FL, where he worked on the B52 bombers radar systems. A highlight there was seeing President Roosevelt when he visited the facility.

During this time, Roy met Dorothy Beckman, who would later become his wife. Although they both grew up in the Dakotas, it was ironic that Dorothy met Roy's sister, Ruby, while attending college in TN, and the two of them traveled together to see Ruby's brother in FL.

Roy returned to Lemmon, SD following his honorable discharge. Dorothy had also returned to SD, and happened to be teaching at a Bible college in Lemmon at that time. They began a relationship that developed into a 60-year marriage. She was the love of his life.

Roy and Dorothy built a life on a farm northeast of Glenham, near Dorothy's childhood home, following their marriage in 1947. He had been offered a job at Boeing in Seattle, but never regretted the choice to farm. The early years were times of hard work mixed with building relationships with great neighbors, who they would visit in the winter by means of a sleigh and horses when the roads were blocked with snow.

Roy and Dorothy raised four children, with Dorothy teaching school for several years when the children reached school age. Roy contributed to his community, in addition to his farming, through his work as a Campbell County commissioner for 26 years, his service on the school board for the Lund school, and his work with other farming organizations. After Dorothy passed away, Roy continued on the farm until 2013 when he chose to move to Prairie Sunset Village assisted living in Mobridge, SD, a community he thoroughly enjoyed for the remainder of his years.

The central focus of life for Roy and Dorothy was their relationship with the Lord and their service to the church. Roy served for over 30 years as the church clerk at the Mobridge Church of God (now Family Worship Center), and continued to attend services until only a few weeks before his passing.

Roy's life was characterized by hard work, but with his "get 'er done" mentality he never complained. He was famous for his "creative" repairs to both house and machinery. Challenges were accepted with optimism and dignity. When he lost the crops to hail, rather than despair his response was a one-day family vacation to the Black Hills since there was no work that could be done. Roy found deep joy in time spent with family, and was unwavering in his loyalty to his friends. He was a kind man who never met a stranger, and his trademark smile was readily shared with everyone.

Roy was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Dorothy; his son, Duane; and his brothers Alvin, Norval, and Herbert.

He is survived by his 99-year old sister, Ruby Beckman of Glenham, sons Daryl (Diana) of Akaska, and Larry (Lynette) of Glenham, and daughter Linda (Mike) Leuze of Cleveland, TN, and daughter-in-law Marilyn Hitshew of Lander, WY, eleven grandchildren, and twenty-four great-grandchildren.