Harry B. Thompson, Jr.

Harry B. Thompson, Jr. passed away at home on Rockledge Drive, on February 24, 2023, at the age of 82. He mightily fought Acute Myeloid Leukemia after successfully having a bone marrow transplant in 2017.

Harry is survived by his adored wife Barbara, devoted children Harry (Hap) B. Thompson, III, Ellen Sheehan (Kenny), Michael Thompson; stepchildren Mary Losson, Lisa Didier (Troy), Terry Lauricia, and Daniel Lauricia (Danette); grandchildren Taylor Thompson, Alyssa Petry, Matthew Durso, Angie Durso, Chris Didier, Jeremy Didier, Anthony Lauricia, and Nicholas Lauricia. He is also survived by his sister, Dr. Sara Jones, brothers Robert Thompson (Col. USAF Retired) (Lynn) and Dr. David Thompson (Carolyn), as well as six nieces and four nephews. He is preceded in death by his Father, Harry B. Thompson, Sr., his Mother, Martha Shaw Thompson, his sisters Martha Lemieux and Catherine Vickrey, and his second wife Marcie Thompson.

Harry was known for being very determined. He had a never quit attitude which was contagious to all around him. It was this determined spirit that afforded him the success he found in life personally and professionally.

He graduated from East Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He taught one year as a High School physics and algebra teacher in Moorehead City, NC. From there he and his first wife Ruby, moved to Melbourne, Florida. He was employed by GeoSpace, NASA, RCA, and Texas Instruments which required moving the family to Austin, Texas and Huntsville, Alabama. Ultimately, he brought his family back to Melbourne and took a position with Radiation, which eventually became Harris Corporation.

Of particular note, the time he spent with RCA was aboard the USS Vandenburg in the South Pacific where he learned the skill to write software capable of operating the radar gimbles to track Soviet ICBM’s. This unique skill acquired aboard ship did not go unnoticed by the US Naval Research Lab, and he was offered an opportunity. After much contemplation, he started out on his own as Harry Thompson, DBA Mnemonics. After some success on his own, he and four others founded Software Technologies in Melbourne where he worked for several years. However, on November 1, 1979 he cofounded Mnemonics, Inc, with his longtime friend David Katz. Mnemonics has now been in operations as a defense contracting company located in Melbourne for the past 42 years. Harry had a dream that Mnemonics would be a generational company, which is proving to be a reality with his children Hap, Ellen, Michael, and Mary successfully managing day to day operations, and his grandchildren working to learn how to someday take the reins.

Harry was known as being a very generous man to his family and employees where, throughout the years, he employed over 1200 people. He loved being on the water sailing, and traveling in his RV with his wife, Barbara. In his 40’s, Harry became a licensed pilot and owned several aircraft, one being an experimental Defiant which he would spend weekends working on. Family gatherings and reunions with his siblings, children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren were extremely important to him, and he was the impetus for making these events happen annually, if not more frequently.

Friends and family will be received on March 17, 2023 at the Life Center, Florida Memorial Gardens US I, Melbourne, Florida 32955. The service will be held March 18, 2023 at Suntree United Methodist Church, 7400 N. Wickham Rd. Melbourne, Florida 32940 at 1 PM.

Mr. Thompson had a strong love for the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home, 51 Main Street, Enterprise, FL 32723. Donations there or a charity of your choice are greatly appreciated.