Chester McConnell Thompson

Chester McConnell Thompson, 95 years old, of Tampa, Florida, passed away on January 23, 2021, after living a very full and fruitful life. He is survived by his wife of 74 years, four of his seven children, eleven grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren. He is known as Pop-Pop to all of them.

Chester met the love of his life, Edna Jean, as a teenager delivering newspapers in Collingswood, New Jersey. They were married after he graduated from Yale University. Prior to graduating from Yale with a degree in engineering, he had attended Georgia Tech and served in the United States Marine Corp. Later he decided he wanted to go to medical school. Chester and his son, Tom Thompson (Betsy), shared a special bond. Both graduated from Temple Medical School. A special honor for Chester was to hand his son his medical diploma on stage.

After finishing years of medical training, he and his family moved to Orlando, Florida. This was before Mickey Mouse decided to move there, too. Chester was one of the first neurologist in Orlando and with a brain-wave machine no less! Of note, Chester and Jean had a son who was named Chester McConnell Thompson, Jr. whom they called Mickey. He was born in the 1950s and only lived a few years. His youngest son, Paul Thompson, lived into his 40s. Chester and Paul liked to tinker on all sorts of things. One of those being a ski boat. Chester enjoyed taking family and friends skiing on the Orlando lakes or motoring up and down the St. Johns River. His second daughter, Joan Thompson Walker (Doug), recently predeceased, was another child who found her calling in medicine. Many of his offspring have entered STEM-related professions because of his influence.

Chester’s eleven grandchildren (Martin (Amanda), Robert (Elisa), John, Scott, Leslie, Sharon (Jens), Avery, Rachel (Kai), Kimmy, Krissy, Trey) always looked forward to his visits. Why wouldn’t they…he loved to take them out for soft-serve vanilla ice cream. He also liked to arm wrestle and play games. His eleven great-grandchildren (Kyla, Mason, Jaden, Ava, Sofia, Giulia, Lawrence, Max, Lucas, Oshan, Phoebe) always looked forward to the same.

Chester was all about enjoying life. He was curious about everything he encountered and made life fun. He loved to tinker with things just for the mental challenge of solving a problem. He took his family camping, boating, and on several cross-country vacations. Nancy Thompson Lesch (Benny), his third daughter, remembers opening day at Disney World because of her fun-loving dad. His youngest daughter, Leah Thompson Armstead (Ian), remembers how he would help her find special rocks and constellations in the night sky. Scuba diving was another hobby he enjoyed with his sons.

Chester had a subdued sense of humor. When his oldest daughter married on December 21 he told the newlyweds that it might be the shortest day of the year, but the longest night. Loraine Thompson Clewis will never forget that!

Chester was known for his curiosity. He loved the mental challenge of the triangle-peg puzzles, board games, and more recently the tech gadgets. Any brain teaser would do!

Another quality Chester had was patience. He demonstrated this over and over again with his daughters helping them with their math homework for example. He was patient, kind, and content.

In his later years, he lived in Tallahassee. He worked for the state and as a medical consultant. This was after retiring from 30 years of neurology in Orlando. He kept his medical license until he was 90 years old.

Chester was an inspiration to us all in so many ways. His character was founded in his strong love for God. His faith in God was strong during the good times and the bad. We rejoice in Him that Chester is home!

A Funeral Service to honor Chester’s life will take place at 11am on Saturday, January 30, 2021. For those unable to attend the funeral service in person, please join the family to honor and celebrate Chester's life by joining in on zoom, copy link below.

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Robert R. Clewis

“Startle”

To a grandfather, on resting easy:

It is not a race, but a place

to sit back, or sit down

in a chair here there really

anywhere.

It is not a race to be won

as in “To an Athlete Dying Young”

but a place to take it easy,

sink down, comfortable, into a resting position,

make it look like your asleep,

not paying much attention

when in fact you’re on it, like a ballplayer

controllin’ it, spinnin’ it, winnin’ it,

a comic killin’ it, a finisher just willin’ it

in,

-- except it’s not a competition.

It’s a mission to relax, recline, incline

into your disposition,

calm and cool – for the most part.

Until you let one slip –

a yell I mean,

a yell, when one of the kids

jumps on the belly protrusion

an unwanted intrusion from a little one

who thought it’d be funny

to see if you’re fakin’ it

or really in a sleep, deep and profound,

or light, ready to rebound,

unbound to the place where you are,

where you rest but are still with us,

in place but still alert

a presence not here but still there

a presence that is in a sense

everywhere.

January 26, 2021