Stanley F. & Donnis Thompson

Stanley Thompson's Obituary

Stanley F. Thompson passed away on the 27th day of February, 2015 at the age of 94.

He was born in Rochester, Minnesota, but grew up in Iowa. He attended Iowa Slate Teacher's College and won the Tri-State Wrestling title for his weight class as well as many other top-level meets and competitions. WWII came and he went to work in a munitions plant, then joined the Army Air Corps. After the war, in 1945, he moved to Nome where he started a restaurant called the "Snack Shack." One summer he explored and prospected along tributaries of the Noatak.

Afterwards, he returned to college and graduated from Harvard with an honors degree in Geology. He worked for a time as a Soils Engineer for the Corps of Engineers at Ladd Air Force Base out of Fairbanks where he met Donnis. who later became his wife.

He fished a beach site on Salamatof Beach on the east shore of Cook Inlet in late 1949, and in 1953, married Donnis and moved to Kenai. He started a building supply store known as Kenai Korners. He was a member of the Charter Commission for the City of Kenai and the first President of the Kenai Chamber of Commerce.

He was appointed the U.S. Commissioner in 1953, a post he held until statehood. In 1958 he started the homesteading process on an unnamed lake in Nikiski, which he named Timberlost Lake. After family, his greatest love was his homestead. It stemmed from a childhood dream and ambition.

After he sold Kenai Korners he bought and ran Peninsula Greenhouses. He also owned and fished beach sites in the Clam Gulch area in the 1960s, and owned and fished a variety of salmon drift boats in Cook Inlet starting in the 1950s and continuing at least through the 1970s.

During the 1970s and 1980s he served as the Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor for a total of 10 years.
He leaves his wife of 61 years, Donnis, sons Eric of Alaska and Washington, Tucker of Nikiski, and Tok of California, daughter Teri of California, nine grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Jerry of Nikiski, and his sisters Martha of Homer and Mary of Anchorage.

As per his wishes, no Memorial Service will be held. His remains will be buried on his beloved homestead by the grave of his son, Tollef, who predeceased him.

Published by Peninsula Clarion on Mar. 3, 2015.