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Dean Thompson Obituary
June 26, 1963 - July 3, 2023
Mountain Lakes, New Jersey - Dean Latham Thompson, 60, of Mountain Lakes, NJ, passed away on July 3, 2023, in Lucerne, Switzerland from a sudden medical emergency while with his family.
Dean was born June 26, 1963 in Columbia, South Carolina. He attended Hammond Academy in Columbia, SC, and graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in 1985 and an M.S. in 1986. Dean married the love of his life, Kelly Zappa, in 1994. That same year Dean began working at Enterprise Holdings where he spent the remainder of his career.
Dean and Kelly moved to Mountain Lakes, NJ in April, 1997 and raised three children. An ardent supporter of all things Mountain Lakes, Dean was well known and loved. He was a fixture at local events, feeding his famous pork butt to the entire town on Mountain Lakes Day. The preeminent fan, Dean was photographer and utmost enthusiast of ML sports, carrying that exuberance to his children's college lacrosse teams.
His passions included fishing, skiing, golf and travel with family and friends. Dean was an Eagle Scout, a member of Rockaway River Country Club, bourbon connoisseur, barbecue aficionado and a legend to all who knew him.
In the 30 years he spent at Enterprise, Dean was a driving force behind the New York Group's success. He held dual positions of Vice President of Finance and Vice President of Government Affairs, and was a mentor to many. Dean dedicated significant time several non-profit Boards and was Treasurer of Boys and Girls Club of Newark.
He is remembered as a devoted husband, loving father, and widely known as the nicest guy in the world.
Dean is survived by his wife Kelly; children, Davis, Kelsey and Harrison; mother, Carolyn Owen (Larry) of Chapin, SC; sister, Dale Thomas (Scott) of Lexington, SC; half-brother, Shane Thompson (Tasneem) of Knightsdale, NC; stepmother Alfreda Thompson; in-laws, Roberta and Joseph Rocco Zappa of Maryville, TN.
Donations may be made in honor of Dean to the following organizations:
Boys & Girls Club of Newark, 1 Avon Avenue, Newark, NJ 07108. www.bgcn.org
ML Lacrosse, Dean Thompson Scholarship, 171 Boulevard, Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046. www.mountainlakeslacrosse.com.
ML Wrestling, Mountain Lakes High School, 96 Powerville Road, Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046. Attn: Matt Stanzione.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Dean Thompson
1 Entry
Damian Rigatti
September 11, 2023
I am so sorry to hear of Dean´s passing. My condolences to his wife, children, family and friends. I got to know Dean through sitting next to him at home Giant games. My seat are next to his at the stadium. When I asked the young men next to me about Dean, they told me the sad news. Although we didn´t see each other often, I enjoyed his conversation and company. We exchanged numbers and followed each other on social media. I always enjoyed seeing his posts of family and travels. He and I are the same age and had similar interests.
Genuinely nice guy, he will be missed. He made such a great impression on me. He always asked if I needed additional tickets, to let him know.
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