John Thomas Thompson

John Thomas Thompson of Carolina Beach North Carolina, better known as Tommy, Tom or Big T, passed away October 11, 2023 from complications from injuries after a car accident. Tommy was predeceased by his parents, Jack and Leoma Thompson as well as his brother-in-law Bill Maguire. He left behind his daughter Lee Ann Thompson, grandson Cody and his son Aaron Thompson. Late in life he became aware of another daughter Tracy Aviles (Angel) and 4 additional grandchildren Thomas, Jules, AJ and Angel. He also leaves behind his sisters Martha Maguire and Sandra Hogan (Bill), nephew Bill and nieces Kelly, Tina and Barbara as well as several great nieces and nephews.
Tommy was born March 12, 1947 in Calhoun Georgia living in the mill village where his parents worked. In middle school the family moved to Yonkers NY where he excelled at several sports, most notably football where he was named All City playing both defensive and offensive positions. Tom played a sport every season and was named Best Athlete by his class. After high school he joined the Army and served with the 173rd Airborne 2/503 Charlie Company in Vietnam. He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star during his service.
With the true soul of a wanderer, Tom lived all across this country, from rural Georgia to NYC, from Carolina Beach to South Beach, Orlando to Las Vegas, from Dak To to the comfort of his own chair, Tommy Thompson was always ready to see what awaited him over the next horizon. He was often heard to remark "I've been around this world 3 times and talked to everybody twice". Wherever Tommy lived it quickly became like he had always lived there. Strange though he may have been, he was never a stranger.
He was a working man, his trade was carpentry and his forte was form carpentry, the monoliths he built dot the face of this country. He never lived to work but only worked to live. Tommy loved his family more than anything; he was the proud patriarch. He marched to the beat of his own drum and welcomed everyone exactly as they are.
He loved a good road trip and was always willing to travel at a moments notice. He spent time with his Vietnam brothers every year at various veteran reunions both official and unofficial. But his favorite past-time was spending time with his kids and the rest of his family. Luckily they held a family reunion a few days before the accident. To summarize the full life of a man like Tommy Thompson would be a futile gesture, so we shall end with a quote by Hunter S. Thompson "There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die." He is gone now and we may never see his like again, but we shall never forget him and we are just so glad he decided come by and stick around for awhile.
The family plans to have his remains memorialized in Arlington Cemetery in Washington DC with services in the future. An announcement will be made once plans are finalized.
Aquamation Services are provided by Tranquility Cremation by Aquamation.