Lyle E. Thompson

Lyle Eugene Thompson, age 81, of Deer Park, formerly of Chippewa Falls, died Wednesday, June 19, 2024, of cancer.

He was born March 30, 1943, in Chippewa Falls to Lorraine (Sukopp) and Harold “Tommy” Thompson. He grew up near Jim Falls and attended Popple Lake School. He was a member of Jim Falls Boy Scout Troop 120 and was one of their five scouts who attended the World Boy Scout Jamboree at Valley Forge, Pa. He graduated from Chippewa Falls Senior High School in 1961.

He attended University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire before entering the United States Air Force in 1964 during the Vietnam War. He worked in radio maintenance as a weapons technician and was stationed stateside at Lackland, Elgin, and Lowery Air Force Bases and at Udorn Royal Thai Air Base in Thailand, working on the F-4C aircraft until his discharge as Airman 1st Class in August 1968.

Lyle married Sandra Larsen on April 10, 1965, in Chippewa Falls and they had two sons, Douglas and Craig Thompson. Since 1950, he was a member of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Chippewa Falls. He was very active in Boy Scout leadership for many years, receiving the Silver Beaver Award in 1988. He was a brother in the Chippewa Falls Masonic Lodge # 176 since 1988.

Lyle worked as a printer for Chippewa Printery and later in the printing department for the State of Minnesota, where he met Mary Ann Radigan of Deer Park. They were married on March 5, 2005, in Ashland. He retired June 15, 2006.

He enjoyed the outdoors and learned to hunt and fish with his father at an early age. Together with his parents and sister’s family, he built a family cabin near Minong where he hunted, fished, skied, and enjoyed boating with his family and friends. He was a successful hunter of deer and turkeys with his rifle, bow and black powder, and bagged a bear with his bow at Drummond. He, along with Bill Herrmann and their hunting crew, enjoyed every season of hunting and fishing sports at their cabin since 1976. In 2023, he captured his deer hunting memories in the book he wrote, “Whitetail Deer Hunting Chronicle.”

In the past he bowled and loved tinkering with his 1949 Ford Convertible. He enjoyed golfing with his golf buddies and scored a “hole in one” on the fourth hole at Ojibwa Golf in October 2022. During the summers, he and Mary Ann shared weekend bike trips with Joye and Carl. He enjoyed attending Hodag Country Festival with his family every year and he also loved singing Karaoke. In June 2023, for the Rice Lake Aqua Fest parade, he sang “God Bless The USA” with his Karaoke microphone on a float he designed and constructed, as a tribute to all Veterans.

In 2018, Lyle met Midge Kelnhofer, his special companion. They enjoyed cooking, concerts, parades, boat rides, day trips and many other events together.

Survivors include Midge Kelnhofer of Rice Lake; his sons Doug (Victoria) Thompson of Portage, Craig (Shannon Corbin) Thompson of Plymouth, Minn.; his stepchildren, Joe McQuillen of North Hollywood, Calif., Annie (Ryan) Dulon of San Raphael, Calif.; sister, Joye (Carl) Dobos of Chippewa Falls; niece, Lisa (Jane Schley) Herrmann of Eau Claire; nephews, John (Peggy) Herrmann of Chippewa Falls, Richard “Rick“ Herrmann of Oshkosh; grandchildren, Tanner Thompson of Lake Mills; Olivia Thompson of Plymouth, Minn.; step grandchildren, Kyle Rank of Wisconsin Dells; Quinn and Jack Dulon of San Raphael, Calif.; and step great grandson, Hans Wimmer of Wisconsin Dells. He is also survived by Midge’s children and siblings; several cousins; and other relatives and cherished friends.

He was preceded in death by his father, Harold “Tommy” Thompson on Nov 19, 2002; his mother, Lorraine on Nov 19, 2021; and his wife, Mary Ann Radigan on April 12, 2017.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Chippewa Falls, with Pastor Karen Behling officiating. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. at the church. Interment will follow the lunch at Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spooner.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church.