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Said Tommy, “Our older son Gary made a name for himself, nationally. He was a champion boys jumper. He was strong.” “When Gary graduated from Minnetonka High School, he got a call from Cypress Gardens in Florida,” said Jeanne. “Tommy took him all the way down there to Florida. They taught him show skiing. They recognized he had talent. To this day, Gary puts on water ski shows at Cypress Gardens and Sea World as well as many places outside the USA including Brazil, South Korea, Europe, and so many places I can’t name them all.” Gary, 66, is still a competitive water skier. He and his wife Connie live in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. He has two daughters. Said Jeanne, “I didn’t know Tennessee was such a pretty state. Our kids don’t live close to us, but they sure all picked pretty places for us to visit.” Son Ron, 64, a retired pilot and father of a son, is into sailing today. Ron was a Navy pilot for six years after college. “He said the most dangerous thing he had to do was land his plane on an aircraft carrier at night,” reported his mother. “Ron liked the F-8 as it only had one pilot. He did not want to lose his life due to someone else’s mistake.” “After the Navy, Ron flew for Northwest Airlines and was based in Hawaii. He flew the 747. At the age of 60, Ron had mandatory retirement but he decided to stay put in Hawaii. When he retired, Tommy and I lost our travel benefits, but then Delta bought Northwest Airlines and Delta returned the benefits. Delta is a very good company. We’ve had flying privileges for many years because of our son’s occupation and his perks." "When Ron retired from flying, he started sailing," continued his mother. "He bought a Bristol Channel Cutter, 28 feet long. He sailed among the Hawaiian Islands and took one long trip from Hawaii to Tahiti. He sailed solo for 23 days and got very lonesome. He called us every day. The trip home was also 23 days. He was gone four months. He would like to do more long distance sailing but only if he has a companion.” Daughter Laurie, 62, a clothing designer, and husband John Marsh live in San Diego where she has her own studio. “Laurie always wanted to create, and so she created her own clothing design company. When she was young, I sewed many of her clothes and I taught her how to sew. When she was in college, she sewed and made things for her friends. Laurie had a knack for looking at a person and making the perfect clothing. She does beautiful work. Everything she does is amazing, even though I’m prejudiced.” Added Jeanne, with the proud smile of a mother, "I also went into fashion when I modeled for Laurie. Clothes always look better on a person than on a hanger, and she asked if I'd do that for her. I called it my second career." Jeanne said that all three of their children attended the University of Hawaii. “They seemed to always follow each other, whether it was skiing or schooling,” said their mother. “Actually, Laurie had gone to Hawaii for Gary’s wedding and fell in love with Hawaii. Gary was in the National Guard in Hawaii. And so instead of bringing them home to Minnesota for holidays, Tommy and I would go visit them.”
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The Victoria GAZETTE |
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June 2014 |
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Jeanne and Tommy Thompson and their children Gary, Ron, and Laurie in 1952 or 1953. |