Raymond Julius Thompson Veteran

Birth: 15 Nov 1910
Geneva, Kane County, Illinois, USA
Death: 11 Dec 1992 (aged 82)
Peekskill, Westchester County, New York, USA
Burial: River Hills Memorial Park

Batavia, Kane County, Illinois, USA Show Map GPS-Latitude: 41.8278006, Longitude: -88.3082307
Plot: Cremation Garden (within the Garden of Memories), Section III, Row A, 36 West, Space 2
Memorial ID: 122041488 View Source

After dropping out of school in eighth grade (circa 1923) to help support his family, Ray undertook various odd jobs and eventually developed extreme skill as a local gardener. He worked for local greenhouses, and eventually for Col. George Fabyan and his wife, as one of the gardeners working in the Japanese Flower Garden (at the Fabyan estate, later Fabyan Park, now often called Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva). Later, Ray served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and after training at the Naval Station Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay area, he served as Gunner's Mate aboard the USS Maurice J. Manuel, a destroyer escort. Ray returned to Geneva and married Joan Shoemaker. They had four children: Roger, Wayne, Carol, and Russell.

In the 1940's. Ray co-founded Thompson Manufacturing Company in Geneva, IL, along with his brothers Arthur and Daniel. By the 1950's, Ray was simultaneously working to complete his high school equivalency and taking occasional college courses at Aurora University (then Aurora College), in Aurora, IL while working towards a college degree. Ray received his B.A. in Psychology in June, 1964 from Aurora University.

In the summer of 1964, Ray & Joan and the children re-located to Aurora where they lived only two blocks away from the University, and frequently attended the Aurora Advent Christian Church. Over the years, Ray & Joan and two of the children each attended and graduated Aurora University. Ray earned his school library certification later in the 1960's summers at the NIU School of Library Science in Dekalb, while simultaneously working during the academic years as a school librarian at Simmons Jr. High school in Aurora. He finally retired in 1976.

Ray loved gardening and could plant a weed, or even merely look at the ground, to reap an incredible forest harvest of tomatoes or cucumbers, or any other vegetable or flower.