James Francis Thompson

Jim or Jimmy as he was affectionately known was born in Wyandotte in 1935 to Stephen Thompson and Rose (nee Texter) during the depression. He was the 3rd child in a family of 5, an older sister Ruth, an older brother John, and two younger sisters Ann and Mary. His youth was spent playing Tippy and hooking car bumpers during the cold River Rouge winters while delivering papers, working at the bowling alley and theater. His parents taught him honesty, work ethic, and balance, and instilled in him a faith that he would embrace his entire life.

After High School graduation from Our Lady of Lourdes in River Rouge in 1953, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and earned a ticket to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa just after the Korean Armistice Agreement. He would say “I was the Radar O’Reilley of the 18th Fighter Bomber Group. He was discharged in 1957.

Returning back to Detroit, Jim would take up his career working at Great Lakes Steel, finding himself at the start of an industry that was migrating to a computer-controlled rolling process. After Great Lakes Steel, he would spend his productive years working at Dodge Main and then United Technologies as a mainframe computer specialist. Long before remote work was common, he telecommuted while recovering from back surgery in the 1980s. Through this all, he earned a reputation for speed in problem solving, and the soft skills of dealing with difficult colleagues while under pressure.

Life would be incomplete without family and faith. Jim devoted much time to family, ever-present, always making time for vacations and events. He was married to Bernadette Marie Jobin in 1960, and immediately started building a large family. Their 8 children are separated in age by a total of 19 years, so the house was always filled with action. He was a devout lifelong catholic, and while he acknowledged his flaws openly, he was deeply committed to his faith. This faith presented itself in the way he appreciated and connected with people. He was tough on principles, and believed honesty was policy number one. He was stubborn, once walking home in the rain from downtown Detroit to River Rouge because he accidentally spent his bus fare. Through it all he appreciated the struggles and joys of life, maintaining a strong sense of humor. Those who knew him will recall some of his 1-liners, and hopefully repeat them for many years.

Jim is survived by his wife Bernadette (nee Jobin) or 64 years, their 8 children Jeannine (Robert) Dutko, Timothy (Maria) Thompson, Lenore Guarino, Alice Semon, Andrea Koppy, Katherine (Patrick) Sparkman, David (Trisha) Miah, and Joseph (Jaclyn) Thompson, their 32 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren, and his sister Mary (Fred) Evans.

A visitation will be held at A.H. Peters Funeral home in Grosse Pointe Woods from 3PM-8PM on Friday 11/21/2025. He will be in-state at 9:30AM on Saturday 11/22/2025, followed by a funeral mass at 10:30AM at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in St. Clair Shores.