Leo Thompson

Leo E. Thompson, age 97, of Faribault, MN, passed away Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at the Reflections Care Suites in Northfield, MN.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. at Divine Mercy Catholic Church of Faribault, 139 Mercy Dr. Faribault, MN. Interment will be held at Calvary Cemetery in Faribault with military honors provided by the Rice County Central Veterans Association.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the new Parker Kohl Funeral Home, 1725 Lyndale Ave N., Faribault, and on Wednesday for one hour prior to the services at the church.

Leo Elmer was born in Faribault on March 27, 1921 to parents Walter and Johanna (Gillis) Thompson. He served in the U.S. Army during the entirety of World War II and was stationed in Alaska and served on the western front in Italy. He married Irene Caron on December 23, 1944 at the Church of St. Columbia in St. Paul, MN, and after his time in the Army they settled down together to start a family. He worked as a bricklayer for 35 years with Brown Masonry. Leo had many hobbies including hunting, gardening, and fishing. What he was best known for though was his woodworking, especially his hand carved crucifixes which he would give to those closest to him.

Leo is survived by his children, Francis Thompson, Joan Pitsavas, Bernadette Marx, Marlene Karow and Mark Thompson (special friend Marlene Peters) all of Faribault, MN, Patrick (Constance) Thompson of Fort Worth, TX and Veronica Newburg (special friend Mike Johnson) of La Crosse, WI; his sixteen grandchildren and ten great grandchildren and many other relatives and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents; wife, Irene; infant children, LaDonna and Lawrence; daughter, Carol Nichols; sister, June Kelly; daughter-in-law, Deb Thompson; and sons-in-law, Nick Pitsavas, Mike Karow and Jerry Nichols.

In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to the family which will be distributed to Leo's favorite charities.