Earl Anthony Thompson

Earl Anthony Thompson of Livermore died Aug. 3. He was 79.

Thompson was born in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Aug. 20, 1933. He graduated from Central High School and received a degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. Thompson served four years in the Navy, eventually moving to Livermore with his wife and young family to take a job at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he worked for 30 years.

Thompson was an avid builder of model airplanes, a passion he developed when recovering from Polio in his youth. As an adult, he continued to build and fly model airplanes, competing in several national and international competitions sponsored by the Association of Model Aeronautics (AMA). He also was a founding member of the "Livermore Flying Electrons," a flying model club based in Livermore.

Thompson is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Dorothy; his children, Earl Martin of Redmond, Ore., Barbara Breen of Livermore, and Susan Meyer of Brentwood.; his three granddaughters: Heather Breen, Courtney and Lindsay Meyer; one brother, Thomas Thompson, and his wife, Joyce, of Grand Rapids, Mich.; and several nieces and nephews.

Thompson was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Martha Thompson of Grand Rapids, Mich.

A small gathering for family will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the "Livermore Flying Electrons."