Dave Thompson

Lynda asked me to write a spotlight autobiography even though I graduated in 1963. I hope she will write one soon. I was born at O'Conner Hospital on Feb 14, 1946. I was the first born son of Jerry and Barbara Thompson who met at the University of Oregon and married in New Orleans a few months before my dad landed at Normandy on D-Day plus 8 as part of General Patton's army's 90th Division.

My sister Pat was born in 1948 and sister Julie in 1953 and we lived on Robin Lane in Campbell. I attended Cherry Lane Elementary School from 3rd through 6th grade. My first grade classroom, 7th grade homeroom and my sophomore college Spanish class were all in the same room when Campbell Grammar School became West Valley College.
 

I loved playing baseball with the Robins Little League team with coach Ron Cita, one of the best coaches I ever had and I was the only 11 year old on the 12 year old All Star team.

The 1957 Campbell Little League All Stars that won 2 local tournaments before losing to Hayward 9 to 6 after leading 6 to 0 for the Northern California championship

Bottom Row: me, Dave Parker, Gary Reuter, Larry Elizondo, Dan Perry, Larry Peters and Barry Yoshida.
Top Row: Ccoach Ron Cita, Dick Van Rossem, Dave Avery, Darrel Dearborn, John Russell, Lon Raymond, unknown with glasses, Don Le Flor?, coach Les Baldinger.

When I was 14 in 1960 my mother died of Chron's Disease and Ileitis at age 40. My father did his best to raise us while turning to alcohol for comfort. Coach Oldham wouldn't let me work and play baseball so my junior year I joined the golf team. In Middle School Mr Tonini encouraged me to play tenor saxophone and clarinet in the dance band he was forming and in high school I enjoyed playing in the Saints for 4 years and the concert band under Mr Bill Perkins with so many great memories and on the band bus singing songs like "Poison Ivy" and crashing parades with a band that eventually became sponsored by Scopazzi's restaurant in Boulder Creek. After being Student Body President my senior year I spent the summer working at Safeway and waterskiing with Patty Rhine.

who's dad drug me around Coyote Reservoir until I finally learned to slalom water ski after 4 years of double skis behind Jim Shanteau"s boat in the Sacramento River.

I went to the University of Oregon and lived with my grandmother who lived next door to my Aunt and Uncle who had a fishing boat. We fished most of the lakes in the Cascades and the Willamette Valley when the Ducks were not playing football or basketball. My sophomore year I came back to Campbell and lived on Cadillac Drive in the Tropicana Apts with my neighbor Jim Sabo (who I just visited last month in Buford, GA). I worked 40 hours/week and took classes at SJS, SJCC and West Valley earning a 4.0 GPA.

My junior and senior years were at UO and then to the University of Oregon Dental School in Portland. During my senior year at UO someone shared the 4 Spritual Laws with me and I finally understood what it means to have personal relationship with Jesus Christ. My friend Frank Linane made the same decision and it was great connecting with him after high school. I would also visit Sherrie Patton Holly Nooteboom and Fred and I enjoyed playing golf with Sherrie's dad. My half sister Jeri Ann babysat Sherrie's boys when they were at Amber Drive Elementary. Hopefully now that we are fully vaccinated we can see each other more often.

My senior year at UODS I married a cute little (5 ft tall) hippie chick named Chris at Maranatha Church in Portland where I was the only white guy in the Choir. After graduation we were stationed at Ft Hood Texas for 2 years in the Army where I rotated through the speciaties of Oral Surgery, Endodontics, Prothodontics, and Pediatric Dentistry.

After the Army we moved to a house on a golf course in Salem, OR and started a practice in Mill City moving it to Stayton in 1980.

My son Jonathan David Thompson was born Dec 8, 1974 and he is currently the Sales Manager for Cook VW in Encinitas, CA . He has 3 kids; Jade 19, Jacob 17 and Blake 13 with wife Britt.

Chris and I divorced in 1983 due to her alcoholism and poor choices. I married a teacher named Andrea who had 2 children. Alivia born in 1976 who is a Breast Cancer Surgeon married to a Neurosurgeon Justin Cetas and they have 4 kids Isabelle 26, Elijah 24, Joaquin 11 and Lucia 9.

Andrea's son Daniel David Thompson was born in 1978 and has worked for Food Services Inc for 15 years and loves working on cars and skiing.

Andrea’s abuse as a child and her alcohol addition made our relationship difficult and we divorced in 1994.                  

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My daughter Sara Joy was born Mar 17, 1977, has a PHD in Physical Therapy and is married to Justin Peelle. They have 3 kids Morris David 14, Ada Jean 12 and Thompson Glen Peelle 7. Justin played in the NFL for 10 years and has coached the Tight Ends for the Philadelphia Eagles the past 8 years and now is the TE Coach for the Atlanta Falcons where he played for 3 years. They keep their home in Poway, CA which they bought when he played for the Chargers for 4 years. So in 2018 he got me a free ticket to the Super Bowl LII and a free hotel room in the team hotel with my 3 grandkids and I got to go to the winning team party afterwards and hang out with some players.

In 1995 I met my soulmate Kathie, a surgical nurse from Newberg , while skiing at Mt Hood Meadows and we were married in July 1995. She has a son Jeremy born in 1977 who owns his own auto repair business and a daughter Jennie born in 1980 who is a realtor. Jennie and her husband Casey have 2 sons Cason 11 and Crew 7. So our blended family has blessed us with 6 kids and 12 grandkids with whom we enjoyed their sport teams, golfing, boating, fishing, skiing and celebrating life. I know over 20 kids who call me Grampa Dave who have caught their first fish with me including 6 grandkids and 4 of my kids.

I fished with Joe and Craig on the Klamath and have visited 6 of my neighbor buddies from Robin Lane. Also I have gone to Duck football games with Jim Beyer who lives in Eugene.

This year I skied 20 days  I enjoyed visiting with many of you at Joe Falcone's memorial service and remember waving to his grampa driving into Los Gatos.

Kathie and I took 8 years of ballroom dance lessons and still try to dance every week now that places are opening up again. We celebrate 26 years of marriage this year but since we both first got married in 1971 we are celebrating our 50th year of being married. We sold our dental practice in 2013 and have done some missionary dentistry in Antigua, Guatemala and some Locum Tenens in Oregon but now are fully retired.

I hope all of you consider writing a spotlight article for Lynda . Life is all about relationships!  "Happy Trails to you until we meet again"

Dave