Ivan E. Thompson

1924 - 2019

Ivan E. Thompson

1924 ~ 2019

Ivan E. Thompson passed away peacefully on April 24, 2019, at the age of 94. He was born in Seattle, Washington in 1924, the only child of John and Edith Thompson. A graduate of Roosevelt High School, Ivan enrolled at the University of Washington and joined the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. His college education was interrupted by World War II, when he enlisted in the Navy. Following the war, he completed his education at the University of Washington, earning a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.

He married Marilyn "Molly" Martin in 1956 and together raised two children in Shoreline, Washington. He worked as a salesman for Johns-Manville for almost 30 years, and then, not one to sit still, went to work at Pacific Water Works for another 15 years.

Ivan had many hobbies - skiing, dancing, raising dahlias, hunting, bowling - but his favorite was fishing. Ivan spent much of his life at his family's beach property on Sunlight Beach, Whidbey Island, where he developed his passion for fishing. He shared his love of fishing with others, organizing group fly fishing trips to Canada and an annual salmon fishing trip to Alaska.

Ivan kept active his entire life. He and Molly loved to dance the polka with their friends at the Sons of Norway lodge in Bothell, and bowl weekly in the Sons of Norway bowling league. At home, he spent hours raising beautiful dahlias and sharing the bounty with friends.

Ivan had a gregarious personality, quick wit, and loved to make people smile and laugh. He had an endless supply of Norwegian jokes and, if you asked him to tell you one, he'd still be telling them an hour later. He also told many fishing stories (some of them true) and freely dispensed advice about where and how to fish.

Ivan is survived by his wife of 63 years, Molly, his daughter Kristin (Kyle) Sugamele of Mercer Island, son Kirk (Carol) Thompson of Bothell, and his three grandchildren, Brooke, Andrew and Paige.

The family thanks Ivan's caregivers, Adrian and Ethel, of Mill Creek Family Homes for their compassionate care.

A celebration of Ivan's fantastic life will be held on June 9, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. at the

Sons of Norway Bothell Lodge

23905 Bothell Everett Hwy,

Bothell, Washington 98021.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Bothell Sons of Norway Scholarship Fund.

Sign Ivan's online

Guest Book at www.Legacy.com