Ray Thompson 74, passed away in his home with his youngest sister, Tina and son-in-law, Sabino, at his side on April 22, 2015 after a courageous and long battle with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma to be with the Lord and his soulmate and love of his life, Vivian, for whom we lost only nine months ago.. He was born on April 8, 1941 in Anchorage, Alaska to Gerald and Julia Thompson, the oldest of six children, one who passed as a baby.
Ray grew up primarily in Plains, Alberton and Missoula, Montana where he graduated from high school in 1960. He and his first wife, Shirley settled on the Blackfoot River having one son, Wade, for whom Ray gave up for adoption to Shirley and her husband, Jerry Shram. After serving in the Marine Corps briefly, he became a bellhop in Billings where he met the love of his life, Vivian. After a six-month courtship, they were married on August 18, 1962 in Red Lodge City Park in Red Lodge, Montana. They lived in Missoula, Hamilton, Milltown, and returned to Missoula in 1972. They had two children, their son, Brett, born in 1963 and their daughter, Angela in 1968. They were happily married for 51 years and just under eleven months. Ray started his career as a salesman in Hamilton selling Fuller Brush. In 1972, he went to work for Bill Adams at Missoula Imports. Ray became a successful car salesman working at various dealerships in Missoula. He retired at 62 from Best Buy Auto Sales. Ray was an avid sportsman- loved to fish, to hunt, to paint and to photograph wildlife. He was also a skilled and avid model railroader.
Even though, he had a gruff exterior, he had a heart of gold. He used to buy Christmas gifts from Figi’s and put them under the Christmas tree where he worked to include a gift for himself so no one was ever sure of who Santa was. He loved his children and shared with us the wonders of this world. He used to brag about Brett’s hunting skills. When they hunted together, they always planned to meet at the old mine but it never happened- Brett always shot his mule deer buck before they could meet. He just recently had an opportunity to spend a week with his son, Wade, for the first time in their lives. Ray was able to share the things he loved with Wade to include viewing elk in Garnet country. Ray also was able to spend time with his daughter, Angela and her husband, Sabino in the Mission Valley. He recently became good friends with Sheri and Marv Enderlin sharing his love of that valley with them. Ray even called and sung her Happy Birthday over the phone, which was truly from his heart. Sabino and Angela will miss searching for Dad and Mom on the backroads of Montana whether chasing pheasant, fishing or just plain looking for wildlife. ‘The marmots will miss you, Dad.” His good friend, Steve Hackler, said of him: “I will miss “Pops” – a heart of gold and a personality like a piece of rusty barb wire…” We can hear Dad’s comeback and his hearty laugh in the background.
Ray was an endowment member of the National Rifle Association and a lifetime member of Great American Fishing and Hunting Clubs. He was an avid supporter of the following organizations: Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation as well as the Nature Conservancy.
Dad, we love and we miss you so much. We know that you are peace and someday we will all reunite. Caramel, your four-legged chocolate lab, says me, too.
His parents, Gerald [Beulah] Thompson and Julia [Norman] Schmidt and one sibling preceded Ray in death. His two black labs, Cinder on April 2, 2008 and Tina Bear in July of 1995, also preceded him in death.
Ray is survived by his son, Brett Thompson of Missoula, Montana, his daughter, Angela and son-in-law, Sabino of Anchorage, Alaska; his son, Wade [Ann] of Orlando, Florida, his brother, Bob [Terry] of Boise, Idaho, his sister, Sherry [Jim] of Choteau, Montana, Marla of Bellevue, Washington, and Tina of Moscow, Idaho and favorite cousin, Sharon of Washington State and cousin, Carol, in Spokane. Numerous nieces and nephews, his grandchildren: Melissa, Robert, Tim, Brandon, and six great-grandchildren survive him . Many friends also survive him. We thank our family and friends, who have supported us during this challenging time -words cannot fully express our gratitude.
A memorial service will be held at Living Savior Lutheran Church, 4616 Gharrett Street, at 11 am on June 22, 2014. Reception will follow at the same location. The family will greet friends and relatives starting at 1030 am. We will post this obituary and pictures will at the Buffalo Hills Funeral Home and Crematory website: http://www.buffalohillfh.com/obituaries/listings.php .
In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (1-800-225-5355; www.rmef.org ; 5705 Grant Creek Road, Msla, MT 59808) or to charity of your choice.