Donald Ralph Thompson

Don (“Delbo”) Thompson, 100 years old, passed away peacefully surrounded by family in Fishers, Indiana. He was the son of Nile and Elsie (Tyner) Thompson of Indianapolis, Indiana where Don and his four siblings were raised. Don loved his family and remained close to them his entire life. He attended Arsenal Tech High School before he enlisted in the US Army to serve in WWII.

Don was inducted as a Corporal into the 8th Infantry Division in 1943 which became a very distinguished military group. His Unit received a Presidential Citation for their participation in the Battle of Normandy, Omaha Beach, Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe and Occupied Germany. Don remained lifelong friends with a dozen soldiers in his Division, and he enjoyed many summer reunions with them in their hometown of Buffalo, New York. Despite the personal letter of Citation that Don received for his dedication and duty, he was very humble about his participation in the war because he survived and so many of his band of brothers did not come home.

Don was wounded in action and received two Purple Hearts. For heroic service and bravery in the face of enemy fire and volunteering as a bodyguard for his Company Captain, he received The Bronze Star.

Don returned home to his high school sweetheart, Betty Jean (Lance), were parents to one daughter, Carol Jean and remained happily married for 67 years. At the time of his passing, Don was the oldest living retired Indianapolis Firefighter. He served 23 years with his last assignment as Chauffeur of the Ladder Truck at the Broad Ripple Fire Station #32.

He and Betty spent the rest of their retirement years in the Florida Keys, Longboat Key and Bradenton, Florida where he fished and golfed and lived with a menagerie of Cockatiels, parakeets and their beloved pup, Misha. They summered back home in Indianapolis where Don enjoyed working for his youngest brother’s company R.N. Thompson Construction.

Don was preceded in death by his parents, sisters, Louise Williams and Edith Whiteside and brothers, Richard L. Thompson and Robert N. Thompson. He is survived by his daughter, Carol Stumpf (John); two grandchildren, John Stumpf II and Jennifer Garofalo; two great-grandchildren, Anna and Emma Garofalo; and he will forever remain in the hearts of many nieces and nephews.

A Graveside Service will be held on Friday, August 1, at 1pm, at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery, 9700 Allisonville Road, Indianapolis, IN 46250. Guests are encouraged to meet at the main building in the Conner Suite at 12:30 and will process out to the graveside from there.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Don's memory may be made to St. Mary's Child Center, 4186 Broadway Street, Indianapolis, IN 46205.