Thomas P. Thompson, 97, of Bowman, North Dakota, previously of Bismarck, passed away on January 18, 2026, at Southwest Healthcare long-term center, where he resided for the past 6 years.

A Memorial Service for Thomas P. Thompson will be held on Monday, April 20,  at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery at 1:00 pm. The address for the service is 1825 46th St, Mandan, North Dakota.

There will be a lunch following the memorial  service for Thomas Thompson at the SDA church of Bismarck ND, at 2:00

Thomas P. Thompson was born on July 31, 1928, the son of John Herbert Thompson, and Nina (Nelson) Thompson.  Thomas was raised in Horton, Kansas, where he went to school until he attended Oak Park Academy in Iowa. He graduated from Oak Park Academy in May of 1945. Thomas attended Union College in Lincoln, NE, in the fall of 1946, where he was studying to be a teacher.  Thomas met Ella Mae Tkachenko the following year, and they were united in marriage on September 1, 1949.  After their honeymoon, they returned to Union College, where Thomas finished his education degree.   Ella Mae worked at the Russell Stover chocolate factory in downtown Lincoln to help support them. As an added Perk of the job, she was able to bring home the leftover chocolate for them to eat.  Thomas's favorites were the pecan clusters.

Thomas graduated from Union College in the spring of 1950. During the fall of 1950, he began teaching math and Bible classes at Campion Academy, where he also served as the boys' dean for half the year. He was drafted into the army for two years, which took him and Ella Mae to several different states and offered them many new experiences.

After leaving the military, he resumed his teaching career at Plain View Academy for 1Year. Here, he taught math and was the boys' dean. He then moved on to Enterprise Academy for 5 years, where he served as their math teacher and boys' dean.

When a position became open at Sheyenne River Academy (SRA), Thomas and Ella Mae were very happy to obtain the job, as it allowed Ella Mae to be closer to her family.  They were at SRA in Harvey, ND, from the Fall of 1960 to 1977, when the school moved to Dakota Adventist Academy (DAA) in Bismarck, ND.  During that time, Thomas's main job was teaching math, Bible, drivers ed and history. However, he was willing to help with anything that needed to be done, helping with the boys' dorm, the school's dairy farm, driving the bus on school vacations or trips, and much more.

They also had a small hobby farm with 2 cows named Bell and Bluebell. They would use what milk and cream they needed and gave the rest of the milk to their baby calves.  Ella
Mae would sell the remaining cream to other people. They had some very happy barn cats that had plenty of milk to drink.  Ella Mae and Thomas had several parakeets over the years, some of whom were even able to talk, and entertained the students who came to their place for a home-cooked meal.

Thomas taught at DAA from 1977 to 1990, after which he retired.  During this time, he taught math, history, Bible, and driver's education.  He also helped supervise the students and changed the locks on the doors when needed, even after he retired.  All the rows of new trees around the school were weeded by the Thompsons in the early morning hours or evenings during the summer months, and they helped with the sound system at events taking place on campus.  After he retired, he returned to teaching several times, teaching math until the school could find a permanent teacher.  His dedication to DAA through the years and Christian education was extraordinary.

Thomas was a member of many different singing groups over his life, including singing with his wife, Ella Mae.  They sang for weddings, funerals, baby dedications, and many other special events. Thomas played with the band at his school and contributed musically wherever needed. They also loved to travel, and bird as they went. One of their favorite places was Alaska, where they traveled many times. They also enjoyed many birding trips to Texas.

In 2019, Thomas moved to Bowman, ND, where he lived in the Sunny Apartments and later moved into Southwest Healthcare long-term care in March of 2023.  He remained there until his death, where he still had a love for music and talking any visitor or staff into singing along with him.

Thomas is survived by his nephews, and nieces; Tricia Robles, Carol Harder, Bob Thompson, Marry Simons, Jerry Thompson, Thompson Jerome Stimpel, Richard Nelson Stimpel, Larry Aeh, and Becky Humeniuk as well as Ella Mae's nephews and nieces.

Thomas was preceded in death by his parents, John Herbert Thompson and Nina(Nelson) Thompson, his four siblings; Orville Richard Thompson, Marjorie Aileen Godsey(Stimpel), Evelyn Aeh, and Clifford Lee Thompson, and his two nephews; James Thompson and William Harold Stimpel, as well as Thomas's beloved wife of 75 years, Ella Mae (Tkachenko) Thompson.