Lee S. Thompson
Lee S. Thompson
With fond sorrow, the family of Lee S. Thompson, M.D., 86, shares notice of his death in Lacey, WA, on Nov. 3, 2024. Born in Pittsburgh, on Sept. 2, 1938, he is preceded in death by his parents Dorothy and John Thompson, and his brother Boyd. He is survived by his wife Jeanne D. Thompson; sister Joyce Thompson; family member B. Sidney Smith, Ph.D. (wife Wendy Maybin, Ph.D.); children Cindi Thompson (Bob Lingner), Carrie Thompson (Shawn Jeppesen), Kieren Porter (Bill Porter), Christen Thompson (Christopher Dall), and Schuyler Thompson. He also leaves his grandchildren Christopher Smith, Buddy Lingner, Maggie Pixley (Lingner), Schmitty Thompson, Ph.D., Amelia Smith, Audrey Smith, Evan Porter, Rosemarie Porter, Martha (Mars) Dall, Rowan Hawkins, and great-granddaughter Echo Hawkins.
He was a man of Science, Service and Song. As a teenager, Lee achieved membership in the Order of the Arrow honor society with the Boy Scouts of America-Juniata Valley. Lee was the salutatorian for his class at Youngsville High School in 1956. He received both his Bachelor’s of Science (graduating Phi Beta Kappa) as well as his M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. He sang in the Undergraduate Men’s Glee Club, serving as the President, and was a member of the fraternal organization SAE. Lee practiced pediatrics as a captain at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Illinois, and, in 1969, went on to complete his pediatric residency under C. Henry Kempe at the Colorado Health Sciences Center. He also earned a Master’s Degree in Child Development from the Kennedy Center for Childhood Development.
It was in Denver he met his lifelong friend Michael Kurtz, and together they went on to found Aurora Pediatric Associates, a successful practice in Aurora, Colorado. Lee was dedicated throughout his adult life to providing thoughtful, compassionate, comprehensive care for children and their parents. He never tired of taking late night phone calls from his own adult children–no matter the hour-to calm their fears about their own children’s various ailments.
Other joys and hobbies included a lifelong love of singing, gardening, trains, and travel. He was a longtime member of the Park Hill Methodist Church Adult Choir, where he often sang duets with his daughter Kieren. He also lent his voice to Twelfth Night Celebrations at the University Club in Denver. Lee was renowned for having a lovely yard and gardens; he took pride in edging his lawn by hand, and in maintaining a thriving rhododendron in the challenging desert climate of Denver. He said his love of needle point – crewel and cross stitch – helped to keep his fingers nimble for tiny sutures on little foreheads. He crafted many beautiful wall hangings and ornaments through the years. He rode every steam, narrow gauge railroad in Colorado and loved to travel with Jeanne.
A memorial service will be held at 1 pm, May 7, 2025, at the First United Methodist Church in Youngsville, PA, with Rev. Robert Trask officiating. A reception to follow at the Conewango Club in Warren, PA.
As Lee often sang, from the opera The Pirates of Penzance by Sirs Gilbert and Sullivan. He truly was “a Modern Major General.” He had so much “information vegetable, animal and mineral,” and he shared it generously with loved ones and friends he’d just met. He will be sorely missed.
McKinney Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc., 54 W. Main St., Youngsville, PA have been entrusted with all arrangements. Expressions of sympathy may be made at www.mckinneyfuneral.com.