Donald Lee Thompson

Donald Lee Thompson, age 89, passed away on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at the Knoxville Hospital and Clinics in Knoxville, Iowa. Don was born on October 4, 1934, in rural Lake Creek Township in Calhoun County. He was the fifth of six children born to Clarence and Edna (Wolff) Thompson.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, October 27, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. at the Church of the Nazarene in Knoxville with visitation from 2:00pm-3:00pm.

A visitation will be held on Saturday, October 28, 2023, at Palmer & Swank Funeral Home in Rockwell City, Iowa from 10:30am-11:30am.  Burial will immediately follow at the Lake Creek Township Cemetery in Rockwell City.

Don graduated from Rockwell City High School with the class of 1952. Donald was united in marriage to Doris Gregg on April 17, 1955, in Rockwell City, Iowa. To this union, four children were born: Lorinda Lee, Joan Marie, Thomas Clarence and John Jay.

Don was a member of the Iowa National Guard from 1953 to 1959. He was employed by the State of Iowa; first at the Women’s Reformatory in Rockwell City and then the Mental Health Institute in Mt. Pleasant, relocating there with his family in 1968. Don retired from the State of Iowa as Plant Engineer MHI/Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility in 1988. Don also farmed 80 acres NW of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. He enjoyed bird watching, woodworking, small engine repair, restoring antique tractors, and was an avid reader. Don was a member of Kiwanis International, with the Knoxville Morning Kiwanis. He was also a longtime member of the Church of the Nazarene in Knoxville, Iowa.

Don is survived by his four children: Lorinda Lamb (Alan West) of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Joan Fulton (Craig) of Fairfield, Iowa, Thomas Thompson (Jay Weiss) of St. Croix, USVI, and John Thompson (John Fiedler) of West Des Moines, Iowa; three grandchildren: Clinton (Shelby), Ann (Brandon Mann), and Scott (Kelly) Calhoun; two step grandchildren, Ryan and Tyler Fulton; five great grandchildren: Emma, Allison, Henry, Weston, and Macy; one step great grandchild, Sawyer Fulton; one sister, Aleene Maguire of Rockwell City, Iowa; and many other relatives and friends.

Don is preceded in death by his parents, Clarence L. and Edna (Wolff) Thompson; wife, Doris A. (Gregg) Thompson; brothers: Blake, Robert, Weston, and infant brother, Frank.

Memorials may be given in Don’s memory to the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri or to the Knoxville Church of the Nazarene.