Philip Thompson

1942 - 2022

November 30, 1942 -

August 10, 2022 Our beloved Philip 'Phil' Thompson (79) went to his eternal home with Jesus on August 10, 2022 at his Simi Valley, CA home, with his cherished wife Frances by his side.

The youngest of three boys, Philip was born November 30, 1942 at Everett Memorial Hospital in Everett, WA to the late Hank and Emma Thompson. His dad's twin brother, Herb, lived next door in Snohomish, WA and there was little distinction between the two families. So, in reality, he had three older brothers (Jack, Bill & Jerry), one older sister (Joan), one younger brother (Craig), and two younger sisters (Terry & Kathy). Phil and Craig (cousins who grew up like brothers) were always trying to join the older boys, Jack, Bill and Jerry's 'club'; while the younger girls, Terry and Kathy were always trying to join Phil and Craig's 'club'. Being a young boy on a farm meant shooting out windows of his dad's barn with BB guns, playing 'duck on a rock', hauling hay, milking cows, sledding Crawley's hill, rubber gun battles, ice-skating the frozen bottomlands, cider making, and perfecting the 'Thompson Baby Talk'-known to calm even the most skittish feral cat or obstinate cow.

Philip was a member of the Snohomish High School graduating class of 1961. He was honorably discharged in January 1968 from Army National Guard of Washington State and Reserve of the Army, after a 6 year enlistment. Philip was a medical specialist, E-4 of the 2nd Battalion in the 161st Infantry, with a distinction as a sharpshooter with a rifle bar. After starting his family, he completed his BA in Business Administration at the University of Washington in 1974 and an MBA in Business from City University of Seattle Washington. Philip had a successful 26 year career as a systems analyst/programmer with GTE Data Services. He spent 10 more years as a contractor working on Unix and Windows client-server architectures.

Philip was a lifelong learner, and enjoyed studying the Bible, new technologies, and investing. One of his passions was gardening, specifically, he designed and built elaborate terraced landscapes at two of his homes; complete with fruit trees, vegetables, tomatoes, roses, and more. He loved being outdoors and enjoying God's creation, including hiking, backpacking and camping trips. Retirement was filled with caring for grandkids, grandpets, cruising with friends, wine tasting trips, and volunteering at Second Story. He was a faithful man of God and served as a living example of God's gentle, kind, wise, and loving nature. Phil often said God had blessed him with a good life, for which he was very grateful.

Phil, affectionately known as PP, dad, grandpa, and papa, had 4 children with his first wife Sharon Leyde (Thompson - Large'); Daniel Thompson, Ben Thompson, Susi Matzke, and Chrissy/Veronica Thompson. He married Frances Rossy November 29, 1992 and gained another daughter, Jessica Mullins (partner Rob Santos and his son Nathan), plus in-laws Frank and Virginia Rossy. The formal term 'father-in-law' never fit, so he was dad/Phil to Pamela (m. Daniel) and Aaron (m. Susi). He was blessed with the grandpa and papa titles with the arrival of Katie Spurlock, Mads Thompson, Shane Steck, and Blake Mullins . The arrival of Eva (daughter of Katie and Dante Spurlock) in 2020, added the much loved endearment of great grandpa.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Snohomish, WA where he grew up and raised his family, on September 10 at 11:30 AM. Please email Susi at soozit@gmail.com if you'd like information.