Eugene E. Thompson

Eugene E. Thompson, formerly of Missoula, passed away in Bozeman on March 24. He was born January 10, 1922, in Garnett, Kansas, the youngest of eight children. His father, a carpenter and mason, died as Gene was beginning high school, and his mother was forced to leave her home. With the help of a family friend, Gene moved to California, and finished school at Perris Union High near Riverside. He entered Colorado State College of Education in Greeley in 1938, where he played on the school’s football team.



Gene served in the U.S. Army during WWII, fighting through Italy, southern France, and Germany with his beloved M Company of the 157th Regiment, 45th Infantry Division. He recalled that most of the football team enlisted at once when the call-ups began for war mobilization. Rifleman, machine gunner, mortar man, he eventually became company commander of M Co. (a so-called cannon company of close-support tracked artillery). His war ended in Germany when he was wounded serving as the unit’s forward fire controller. He was awarded two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.



After the WWII, he returned to the College and secured his degree in Education. Gene pursued higher education at the University of Kansas, where he was an Assistant Coach of KU's Orange Bowl football team in 1948.



He became a teacher and eventually Principal of the Springer (New Mexico) High School. Later, he was the Interim Superintendent of the New Mexico State Boys’ School. By this time, Gene and his wife Maxine had sons Mike (Adelle, Helena) and Mark (Barbara, Eugene, Oregon), as well as adoptive son Ernest Gomez (Polly, Silver City, New Mexico).



The family moved to Missoula in 1956 when Gene joined the staff of Missoula County High School. He became the head football coach and fielded the co-champion Montana AA football team in 1961. He was also the American Legion Baseball coach for several years.



Gene moved on to other interesting jobs including coaching the 1964-65 national champion basketball team of the University of Baghdad in Iraq. On his return to the States, he became a school administrator in eastern Montana and eventually in Browerville, Minnesota, where he was Superintendent of Schools.



Gene married Grace Morrison (Thrane) in 1970, and together loved all their children including Grace’s son Jeff (Plentywood) and grandchildren Eric Morrison (Chicago) and Josh Morrison (Bozeman) and Christine Thompson (deceased), Katherine Laible (Boise, Idaho), Christopher Jette (Seattle), Elise Leister (Eugene, Oregon), Blaise Jette (Portland, Oregon), as well as eight great grandchildren and one great-great granddaughter. Gene and Grace lived in Tucson, Arizona, after his retirement in 1986.



Gene was known as a man who lived life on his own terms, who loved to compete--whether soldiering, coaching or finally in golf--who was tough yet kind and generous to anyone he found in need, and who was always entertaining. He will be missed intensely by all who knew him.