Stephen Francis Thompson

1943 - 2021

Stephen Francis Thompson

LaGrange - Stephen Francis Thompson of LaGrange, Kentucky passed away on Monday, September 6, 2021 at the age of 77. Steve died peacefully at his lake cottage on Eagle Lake in Paw Paw, Michigan with his trusted dog, Red, by his side. Steve was born in Pasadena, California on October 14, 1943, to David and Frances Thompson. Steve was the youngest of four siblings: Sheila Kraemer, Nancy Cramer and David Thompson who all live in California. Steve was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his current wife of almost two years, Linda (Buccola) Thompson, his ex-wife of 53 years, Vicki (Freid) Thompson. He also leaves behind four children; Sheri Tabor (Todd Tabor), Katy Andrews (Scott Andrews), Stephen Thompson (Tiffany Thompson), and his favorite child Paul Thompson (Lacey Soriero). He leaves behind his adored grandchildren; Caroline Tabor, Sam Tabor, Mary Tabor, Jack Andrews, Mallory Thompson, Morgan Thompson and Max Thompson - Soriero. Steve enjoyed spending time with his family. It didn't matter if it was at his new-found lake cottage in Michigan, a trip to North Carolina or even a quick trip to the hardware store - he was always up for an adventure. Whether it was accidentally throwing an anchor onto someone else's boat or backing up a trailer on to someone else's car - you never knew what was going to happen with Steve. Everyone who knew Steve seems to have a "Steve Story". His favorite type of people were dogs. He loved them more than anything. We know he now is feeding unlimited amounts of hot dogs to his beloved dogs who passed before him; J.D., Sadie, and Charlie. He leaves behind his best buddy and faithful sidekick, Red. Steve greatly valued education and had a love for learning whether it was in the classroom or in-person experiences. He attended Loyola High School ('61) and after a brief stint at UCLA and a remedial enlightenment at Mt. Sac Community College, he graduated from Cal Poly San Louis Obispo ('65) with a degree in food manufacturing. He also received his Master's in Business from the University of Hartford ('86). He recently sat on the Board of Cal Poly and was a member of the Cal Poly Alumni Association. Steve's unparalleled work ethic and desire to take care of his family led him to various jobs throughout his life. He started out as an amp technician for the 60's band The Guess Who and was the inspiration for the song, "Star Baby". He later got his act together and entered the liquor industry where he made a name for himself. He worked at Heublein Inc., both in Menlo Park, California and Hartford, Connecticut manufacturing brands such as Jose Cuervo and Smirnoff Vodka. In 1986, Brown-Forman brought Steve to Louisville as Vice President of Manufacturing. After retiring from Brown-Forman, he founded Hawaiian Island Spirits Inc. and finally opened the Kentucky Artisan Distillery, which was his "Crown Jewel". He was also Co-President of Jagger's Manufacturing, Owner of Anchorage Marine, and Owner and President of Royal Flush Industries (#2 in the train toilet industry!) A church service is planned for Monday, September 13 at St. Bernadette Catholic Church (6500 St. Bernadette Ave., Prospect Ky.) at 1:00 PM. This will be followed by a casual gathering and a celebration of Steve's life at Kentucky Artisan Distillery (6230 Old LaGrange Rd. Crestwood, Ky.). Please dress casually. Dad hated suits. A mask will be provided. He also hated Covid. In lieu of flowers, people wishing to honor Steve's love of his rescue dogs to make donations to Grrand Golden Retriever Rescue of Kentucky (Grrand.org) or the Shamrock Pet Foundation, Inc. (Shamrockpets.com) Visit Stephen's webpage at BetzlerLifeStory.com to archive favorite memories, photos and sign his guestbook. Betzler & Thompson Life Story Funeral Homes, 60900 M-40 Highway, Paw Paw, MI 49079 (269) 657-3870.