Rex J. Thompson

Rex Junior Thompson, 91, of Mitchellville, Iowa passed away August 4, 2015. A visitation will be held from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, August 6, 2015, at Hamilton’s Mitchellville Funeral Home, 303 Center Ave S., with funeral services following at 2 p.m. Interment will be held at Mitchellville Cemetery.

Rex Thompson was born in Orleans, Minnesota, on October 24, 1923, to Percy and Inez Wilbur Thompson. His family moved to Milo, Iowa, in 1926 where he graduated from Milo High School in 1940. After briefly living in Peru, Iowa, he met his future wife, Reba Hamand. Before they could marry, he joined the Navy at the onset of World War II. He served as Gunner’s Mate 1st Class aboard the destroyer McDermut for the duration of the war. Rex and Reba were married in 1945 in Winterset, Iowa, and resided in Mitchellville following Rex’s Navy discharge. They were married 69 years until Reba’s death. From this union two children were born: Mark and Cindy.

Rex worked with his father at D&P Lumber following the war, later becoming manager until the yard’s closing. He transferred to the Altoona D&P Lumber yard until his retirement in 1982. He was a Boy Scout leader and served on the Mitchellville Fire Department for 30 years. Rex was also a member of the Mitchellville American Legion Post 155. During his retirement years he shared his perennial gardens in several town garden tours, and taught children’s Sunday school at First Assembly of God Church.

Rex is survived by his children, Mark (Betty) Thompson of Knoxville and Cindy (Mark) McCoun of Mitchellville; grandchildren, Jennifer (Chad) Porter, Nick (Mollie) McCoun, Jason Whiteley, and Heather (Cory) Kendall; eight great-grandchildren, Sadie, Seth, Wade and Wyatt Porter; Conner and Brodey McCoun; Hannah and Alex Kendall; and his sister, Beverly Ward of Sun City, Arizona.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Reba; parents, Percy and Inez, and his brother, Donald.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Mitchellville Public Library or the Mitchellville Fire Department.

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