John S. Thompson ’44

John died April 12, 2010, in Middlebury, Vt., after a period of hospice care. Irene, his wife of 62 years, died July 30.

After graduating from Lawrenceville, John majored in biology at Princeton, where he roomed with Les Paternotte and Bill Rossmassler and joined Campus Club. He earned a medical degree from Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons and then served six years in the Army Medical Corps.

For 19 years John built a thriving cardiac practice in Morristown, N.J., followed by 11 years as medical director at Morristown Memorial Hospital. He retired in 1981 to the family vacation home in Cornwall, Vt.  

He and Irene were devoted Episcopalians and active in St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. He sat on the diocesan council and was a trustee of the Diocese of Vermont. In Middlebury he served on the Chamber of Commerce board and the Addison County Regional Planning Commission, and he was a town selectman.

John and Irene loved dogs (which she professionally trained) and he was an avid tennis and bridge player. The panoramic view of the Green Mountains from their home on a high hill was a constant inspiration.  

John is survived by his children, Malcolm and Kate, and two grandchildren. His entire life was one of service and outreach to others.