Philip John Thompson

Philip John Thompson

Philip John Thompson, age 56 of Rockford, formerly of Shabbona passed away peacefully on Sunday January 19, 2020 at 10:23 PM in Rockford.

Philip was the last born of 8 children of Frank and Jean Thompson of Shabbona. Although he had Down Syndrome, he was functional enough to really enjoy life on the farm just a mile North of Shabbona.

Philip attended Notre Dame school in DeKalb until he was 21 years old. He joyfully participated in many extracurricular activities arranged for by the school, including Special Olympics. He loved basketball, bowling and bologna sandwiches. He spent endless hours riding his moped on a well worn path around the farmstead. One day he decided he needed a license plate on his moped, so he drove it the 20 miles or so up to Munson Insurance Agency in DeKalb to get that. His Dad was summoned to collect him, and Philip was kept busy filling out paperwork until he got there. He was an lifelong avid Chicago Bulls, Cubs and Bears fan.

After school he worked at workshops in Yorkville, Sycamore and Arizona, where his parents wintered. He lived in a group home for the last 14 years in Rockford. His family waill always be grateful for the very kind and loving staff who provided a wonderful life of work, companionship, and extracurricular activities for Philip. We would also like to make special mention of Scott, Steve, and Brad, his roomates, who are true angels on earth.

Our whole family was so happy to see him arrive and are deeply sorry to see him go.

He is survived by his 2 sisters: Barb (Dick) Johnson of Rockford and Joyce (Larry) Beranek of Madison, Wis. And Phoenix, AZ. ; 5 brothers: Paul (Mary) Thompson of Hinckley, Dwight Thompson of California, Steve (Lorinda) Thompson of Phoenix, AZ., Dave (Shawn) Thompson of DeKalb, and Aaron Thompson of DeKalb.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

A private family graveside service will be held at Rose Hill Cemetery in Shabbona.

Arrangements were completed by Jacobson Funeral Home in Shabbona.