Warren Thompson

Warren K. Thompson, longtime Ohio native and sports fan, passed peacefully in his sleep February 1, 2022 two days after the Cincinnati Bengals made the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years .He was born January 5, 1932 in Chamberlain, South Dakota, to Oliver and Thelma (Tvedt) Thompson and grew up in Draper, South Dakota "where the pavement ends and the west begins." At age 8, Warren moved with his family to Hendricks, Minnesota.

Upon graduation from Hendricks High School, Warren entered the United States Air Force. He was a flight engineer on a C-47, flew in more than 75 combat missions during the Korean War and he was awarded several citations and medals. After the war, Warren was stationed at Offutt Air Force base and was proud of his assignment as a member of General Curtis LeMay's flight crew. He was honorably discharged from the service in 1958. Warren returned to Hendricks where he met the love of his life, Darla Wassink, when her car was stuck in the sand at Lake Hendricks. After Warren was able to pull her car out,, he wisely made plans to meet her again and the rest as they say, is history. With Darla's encouragement, Warren entered South Dakota State University and graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in 1962.

Warren was employed as a test engineer for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in Florida before moving to Fairborn, Ohio in 1964 where he was an engineer at Wright Patterson Air Force base for over 40 years. While at Wright Patterson Warren worked on the development of the F-16 fuel system.

After retirement, Warren started a side business mowing lawns in Rona Hills. At the peak, he mowed over 17 yards a week, all for the widowed women in the neighborhood. Warren will be remembered for his quiet but quick wit, his sweet tooth and his fondness for taking "short cuts" that ended up taking twice as long. He loved traveling, gardening and was somewhat of a card shark. He was proud of his Norwegian heritage and a loyal Ohio State Buckeye fan, especially through the Woody Hayes years. Warren was a member of the Fairborn First Presbyterian Church, Fairborn American Legion and the Fairborn Senior Center. When it was time to move from his Fairborn home of 50 plus years, he was thankful for the time spent with neighbors Eric and Patti Wolfe and Patty Davis.

In 2017, Warren and Darla moved to Aberdeen Village in Olathe, Kansas. He later became a resident of Forest Creek Memory Care until his death. Warren will be welcomed into heaven by his parents, first-born daughter Terri, sister Virginia Smith, and brother Orland. He will be missed by his wife of 62 years, Darla of Olathe, Kansas, daughter Tami, favorite son-in-law Jim Jeter of Overland Park., Kansas, and brother Tommy (Wanda) Thompson of Wilmington, North Carolina. He also leaves behind grandchildren Brittany (Adam) Belsly, Kelsy (Price) Duncan, and Heather (Matt) Fait all of Kansas and 7 great grandchildren - Henry, Jimmy, Reid, Jennings, Connor, Avery, and Reese.

Warren will be honored at a memorial service on February 26 at 4:00PM at Penwell Gabel Funeral Home 14275 S. Black Bob Rd. Olathe, KS 66062. In lieu of flowers, please send a card and share a memory to Darla at 17500 West 119th Street, Apt. 2100 Olathe, Kansas 66061.

Warren's service will be livestreamed at the scheduled service time. Click here to view the service.

To leave a message of condolence for Warren's family, or to share a special memory of Warren, visit the guestbook below.