Hal Dean Thompson

Hal Dean Thompson, 67, of Des Moines, Iowa passed away Thursday, April 18, 2019 at the HCI Kavanaugh House in Des Moines. Celebration of Life Services will be held in Des Moines, at The Thoreau Center, 3500 Kingman Blvd., on Saturday, April 27, at 2:00PM. Family will receive friends 1 hour prior. The Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus, of which Hal was a member, will sing a tribute, conducted by Rebecca Gruber. A Balloon Launch will immediately follow services. A private scattering of ashes will take place in the Butterfly Memorial Garden, Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus, P.O. Box 12269 Des Moines, IA. 50312, or The Project of Primary Health Care, a nonprofit corporation in Des Moines, IA 50314, to be used for the benefit of patients living with HIV.
Pearson Family Funeral Service & Cremation Center, 809 W. Montgomery Street, Creston, IA, has been entrusted locally where memories may be shared on line at www.pearsonfuneralhomes.com.
Hal Dean Thompson, the son of Theodore James and Leota Maxine (White) Thompson, was born in Des Moines, IA on May 27, 1951. Hal was raised in Winterset, IA, where he graduated from Winterset High School with the Class of 1969. He enjoyed time spent with his parents at their Gambles Store. After receiving his degree from Iowa State University in Ames, Hal began a full-time career with the United States Postal Service in Des Moines and was a member of the American Postal Workers Union. He was proud of his many years of commitment and happy to be a member of the Retired Postal Service Group. Hal enjoyed photography and was always eager to share beautiful pictures he had taken while judging Hot Air Balloon competitions all over the world as well as those here locally. He served as chief observer and debriefer for the National Balloon Festival in Indianola from 1984-1990. Beginning in 1990, the Nationals moved to AZ., Hal continued his involvement in Balloons over Iowa. Hal loved family! Whether compiling ancestry information for the White’s or Thompson’s, he was always eager to share. Hal never showed up to a family gathering without photos or folders of information. Some of Hal’s favorite memories were fun times with cousins and their families. Hal’s many cousins were his first, best and lifelong friends. The Thompson’s, all three families of The White’s, The Shields’, The McKnight’s, The Brown’s, his Kennedy cousins, and the last few years, The Kilgore’s, (cousins to his own cousins)
Preceding Hal in death were his parents, two brothers; Sergeant Roger James Thompson in Dec. of 1968 and Ronald Thompson, aunts & uncles; Willard (Darlene) White, Lola Brown, Shirley Jane (Bill) Shields, Donna Faye (Raymond) McKnight, Kenneth (Rosemarie) White, Louis White, and Donovan Kennedy, cousins; Lois (Brown) Carter, Randy White, and Debra Jane (Shields) Van Heeswyk, a special cousin & co-executor.
Hal leaves to cherish his memory special friend; Brian (Patrick) Faris of Kurtistown, HI; his two nieces: Lisa Proeger of Bishop, CA and Christina Willeford of Phoenix, AZ; a nephew, Jarrod Thompson of Missoula, MT; two aunts: Eloise White of Creston, IA and Marjorie Kennedy of Thornton, CO; two uncles: Otis Brown of Salem, MO and Howard Thompson of Remer, MN. Hal is also survived by his many, many cousins and their families, including his closest cousin & Executor, Marie (Rich) White Flynn of Creston. He will be missed by extended family and a host of friends.