David W Thompson Jr

David W. Thompson, Jr., was born November 20th, 1932, in Brooklyn, New York, and went to be with Jesus February 10, 2026. He was born to David W. Thompson, Sr., and Barbara Thompson (Jica). David has one sister and two brothers: Mitsy, Richard, and Wayne (Butch) who all preceded him in death.

David married Andrea (Faye) Whatley April 8th, 1955. They were married for 67 years before Faye died on February 24th, 2023. They met on a blind date while David was attending Troy University and Faye was attending Georgia South West University. Their marriage was blessed with five boys: David III (Donna), Tony (passed 2004), Todd (passed 2023), Terry (Gloria) and Jay (Anna), and their lives were even further blessed with seventeen grandchildren, fifteen great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild; they cherished every moment they spent with their family.

During their beautiful life together, David's military and civilian career would take the family to live in nine states and one country, Germany. Prior to being married, David served three years in the Navy as a Seabee traveling overseas to Korea (combat), Japan, Guam, and the Philippines. After being discharged, he attended Troy University. Before getting married, he joined the Army where he would serve the next seventeen years. He served overseas in Korea (combat) and twice in Vietnam (combat), before retiring from the military. He was employed at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company in Newport News, Va. He was a quality control supervisor for the boiler, piping and the steam generation system. He was assigned to Hull 68 which was named the Nimitz Aircraft Carrier, the first of ten in its class; the Nimitz just docked on February 10th, at its home port for the last time, and will be decommissioned this year, after fifty years of service. After three years, he was employed at the Townsend and Bottum Engineering Company. He served in various roles, including quality control supervision and safety officer management. One of the noted jobs was Solar One, located in Dagget, CA, which was the first solar plant built in America. After ten years there, he was employed by Duke Energy at the Crystal River Nuke Plant (CR3), where he served in the role as a quality control supervisor for the piping, boiler and the steam generation system during shutdowns, and he worked there until retirement.

David enjoyed many hobbies including hunting, fishing, and crabbing, but mostly fishing and crabbing. He owned four different boats over the years, and pretty much wore one out before buying another. He literally fished until his physical stamina no longer allowed him to do the thing he loved so much. Fishing was to David what a garden is to the farmer. He joyously shared the bounty of his fishing excursions. He enjoyed cooking and serving fish at his local church, at various community functions, and for his beloved family. He also enjoyed sharing his passion and knowledge of the art of fishing, and taught many men how to fish, including his boys and grandchildren.

David's dedication to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was immense throughout his lifetime. He served on deacon boards and various committees in the churches he attended throughout the years, including in the areas of finance and missions. He also served as Sunday School Superintendent for many years. Second only to his love for Jesus was his love for his family, especially his beloved Faye whom he treated like a royal queen. David loved his boys, and there was nothing in the world he enjoyed more than spending time with them and their families. David was married to his bride for sixty-seven years, and after Faye's passing, he asked for her every day. He is now happily at home in Heaven with her and Jesus, waiting for the rest of his family to come home.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 am Saturday, February 21, 2026 at the First Baptist Church Of Mexico Beach with Pastor Henry Hester officiating. Graveside services will begin at 1:00pm Saturday at the Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery, 2403 Harrison Ave. Panama City, FL 32405