Alan Oleiv Thompson

Alan Thompson was a loving husband, stepfather, brother, son and friend. With no prior warning, Alan passed away on April 23, 2024, in his residence in Holly Springs, NC. Alan was born on November 10, 1948, in New York City to Norwegian immigrants, the late Lars and Synneva (Jacobsen) Thompson. He was very proud of his Norwegian heritage. Alan’s family later moved to Dover, Delaware, where Alan attended elementary and secondary schools and formed lifelong friendships. He completed his college studies at Wilmington College and Delaware State University.

Alan proudly served in the USA Navy during the 1970s. He was sent to Vietnam during the war there.

After serving in the Navy, Alan started his career at the Kent County, Delaware Planning Office. His first job was to help draw zoning boundaries on paper aerial photos. This was before digital, so Alan drew the maps by hand. Because of his skills and determination, he eventually became the Kent County Levy Court Planning Director in Dover, Delaware. Alan was very proud of this achievement and excelled in this position.

As an experienced land planning professional, in 1989, Alan started a company named Thompson Mapping. His company created digital maps for two of Delaware’s three counties. He is the owner of SmartMap . com, which created internet mapping sites for many agencies in Delaware. Since moving to Holly Springs, NC, his SmartMap.com site includes information on zoning and mapping for the surrounding area.

In 2018 Alan authored the book Zoning 101 for Real Estate Agents and Clients. It is an introduction to Zoning and Land Use. It is full of useful information.

Alan met the love of his life, Maureen, in 1984. They shared a loving marriage of 38 years. Alan would tell everyone how incredibly lucky he was to have his beautiful wife and family.

Throughout his lifetime he was an Eagles and Phillies fan. He even owned Eagle’s seats at the stadium in Philadelphia. Alan also loved to golf and was a member of Devil’s Ridge Golf Club in Holly Springs, NC. Besides his four granddaughters, golfing, and his love of sports, brought tremendous joy to his life.

In addition to his parents, Alan is preceded in death by his brother, Peter Thompson and his sister, Rachel Lawhon. Alan is lovingly remembered by his wife, Maureen Thompson, son, Kurt von Koch, daughter in-law, Carrie, and the four von Koch granddaughters, Emma, Olivia, Lexie, and Katie.

In mid-July there will be a Celebration of Life in Holly Springs, NC. An announcement will be made when plans are definite. We hope to see all friends and family who can attend to help us remember Alan and what a great man he was.

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