Thompson

Byron Henry, age 96 of Monticello, passed away on November 13, 2023. He was born on November 1, 1927, to Byron and Helen (Mead) Thompson in Syracuse, New York.

Barney grew up in the town of Warners, New York near Syracuse. His father died while Barney was still a boy. He was raised by his mother Helen who worked as a Nurse in a nearby Steel Plant.

Barney enlisted in the US Marine Corp in 1944, completing his basic training at Camp Lejeune before being called to action in the WWII Battle of Okinawa.

After returning from his service in the Marines in 1946, Barney worked as, among other things, a security guard at a hospital where he met his future wife Janet who was a registered nurse there. They were married in 1949 and settled down to start their lives together in a small house in Baldwinsville, New York, also near Syracuse.

Barney soon after began work as a television repairman. He later joined General Electric, where he was a radar technician in Texas, Turkey, and Trinidad in the West Indies. He would later become a computer technician for GE and moved to Phoenix, Arizona. After Several years in Arizona, he left GE to work at Ault Electronics in Minneapolis. While still in Minneapolis, he went on to work for Control Data. Next Byron and Janet moved to Oklahoma with their two youngest sons Bill and Rich. Here, Barney began a new career, of many years, as an electronics sales representative. Upon his retirement, Barney and Janet moved again this time to live with their son William at his home in Monticello, Minnesota.

His passions included HAM Radio, tending to his garden, and enjoying the outdoors during a round of golf. He was an active volunteer throughout his life, dedicating his time to the Boy Scouts of America while in Arizona and Oklahoma, as well as helping the St. Clement Catholic Church in Bixby, Oklahoma.

Preceded in death by his wife of 68 years Janet Anne Thompson; parents Byron and Helen; stepfather Frank; and half-sister Cheryl. He is survived by his children Daniel, Kathleen (Daniel) Johnson, William, Richard (Wendy); grandchildren Marcia Johnson, Gregory (Jodi) Johnson, Matthew Johnson, Georgia (Zach) Mettenburg, and Nicholas Thompson; great-grandchildren Iona Johnson, Wyatt Mettenburg, and Bodie Mettenburg.

Mass of Christian Burial was at 11 AM on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Watertown, Minnesota. Visitation was from 10-11 AM prior to the Mass, all at the church. Interment was in the church cemetery. A luncheon followed the interment.