John Francis Thompson, age 95, formerly of Wilmington, DE and more recently a resident of Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community, passed away peacefully with loved ones by his side on August 5th, 2026.
He was born in Bridgeton, NJ and raised in Alloway, NJ and was the son of the late Francis Issac Thompson and Beatrice Padgett Thompson (Cobb). John was the eldest of six boys where he spent most of his time working on farms, in nurseries, and delivering milk to help the family. He graduated from Woodstown High School in 1950 and earned a letter in football. After high school he was facing the Korean War draft and decided to enlist in the Navy in 1951. During his tour he was stationed in San Diego, Rhode Island, and Illinois. His main sea tour was the oil tanker U.S.S Canisteo which sailed to many places including; Europe, Cuba, and Antarctica.
Upon his discharge he found a job at the Dupont Experimental Station as a Research Lab Tech. After he started at Dupont Experimental Station he met the love of his life, Mary Joan Thompson (Fisher). They raised their two children, John and Scott Thompson, in the Brandywine Hundred area of Wilmington. During this time, John also had business with his brother Robert which included real estate, a moving truck and a retail store. He loved working with his brother and was driven to provide for his family. John had a long career with Dupont, retiring after 38 years. After retirement he continued to work for his sister-in-law, Geraldine Reybold, at her gift shop, the Enchanted Owl, into his eighties.
He was a member of St. Joseph Church, Wilmington. John’s family was the center of his heart and he cherished his time with them, especially holiday gatherings, reunions, Alloway family picnics, and the annual Reybold Beach vacation. John loved vegetable gardening and genealogy, for which he spent many years traveling and researching. Along with his many other hobbies John enjoyed golfing and tennis and played both at the Dupont Country Club. Growing up John loved to hunt and spent plenty of time in the forests and marshes of South Jersey with his brothers and his grandfather. He was a people person and loved to talk with and be with people.
John is survived by his son, John J. Thompson and wife Elizabeth Thompson and grandchildren children, Zach, Matt and Heather Thompson all in Georgia; daughters in law, Kathleen Thompson, and Laura Ames, and grandchildren Nicholas Thompson and Connor Thompson; on Fisher side of the family nieces, Rodnie; Robin and Mimi and a nephew Jay C. Fisher; on the Thompson side of the family brother Ben Thompson, nieces Robin, Karen, Terri, Kimberly, Rebecca and nephews, David, Steven, Randy, Ricky, Jimmy, Barry, Donny. He is also preceded in death by his wife Mary Joan Thompson, son Scott G. Thompson, brothers Robert, Harold, Eddy, and George Thompson, and brother-in-law Jay Fisher.
A visitation will begin at 12:30 pm at the McCrery & Harra Funeral Home, 3924 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE on Friday, August 21st with a memorial service to follow at 1:30 pm. Inurnment will follow at All Saints Cemetery with military honors.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) | Blood Cancer United
A livestream of the services will be found at: https://my.gather.app/remember/john-thompson-aug-2026
For online condolences visit: www.mccreryandharra.com
