LeRoy Earl Thompson

LeRoy E. Thompson, Ph.D., P.E.

May 22, 1934 - April 7, 2024

It is with heavy hearts that our family announces the passing of LeRoy Earl Thompson of Fairhope, Alabama, at the age of 89. LeRoy reunited with his loved ones in heaven on April 7, 2024, after declining health related to dementia. LeRoy lived his life to the fullest and filled it with dedication, laughter, and love.

He was born on May 22, 1934, to Henry and Hazel Thompson in Lithium, Missouri. LeRoy and his brother grew up on the family farm in Perryville, Missouri. He attended Perryville High School and went on to receive his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering at the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy. LeRoy's love of engineering led him to pursue his Master's degree at the University of Missouri at Rolla and later earned his Ph.D. degree at Rice University.

LeRoy was a proud veteran who served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1956 to 1965, where he moved through the ranks to Captain and served in Active Duty and the Reserves.

Dr. Thompson earned many titles throughout his lifetime including, Professional Engineer, Captain, and Doctor; however, the titles he was most proud of were the ones his family called him: devoted husband, loving Dad, and cherished PaPa. LeRoy married the love of his life, Joanne (Medley) Thompson in Salem, Missouri on February 8, 1958. They had 3 children, Julie, Karen, and Michael, and eventually settled down in Miami, Florida to raise them.

As if all that doesn’t showcase the full life LeRoy had, it hardly scratches the surface of his remarkable career that displayed unwavering leadership and devotion to the engineering industry.

Aside from Dr. Thompson creating his own consultant firm with former students (C3TS), he was the founding faculty member of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Florida International University (FIU) and as a testament to his distinguished career, he was given the honor of FIU's Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering.

LeRoy was also a proud member of his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon. As the kind and generous person he was, he went above and beyond to help his fellow brothers serving as the Faculty Adviser and Chapter Counselor and founding a chapter at FIU.

While he loved watching any sport, he had a soft spot for baseball specifically and was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan. You could always count on finding him in his La-Z-Boy chair with the ballgame on.

LeRoy loved to see his family grow and add multiple generations to the family tree. LeRoy enjoyed traveling and visiting with his loved ones. He may have been a tough old engineer, but he knew how to make us laugh (intentionally and accidentally) and had a heart of gold. He often said to Joanne, "I Sure Got It Good" but looking back at the amazing person he was, it was actually all of us that "Got it good" just by knowing him, being loved by him, and being inspired by him. LeRoy is a true soul that will forever be unmatched.

LeRoy was preceded in death by his mother and father, Hazel (Feltz) and Henry Thompson, his brother, Robert "Bob" Thompson, his wife and mother of his children, Joanne (Medley) Thompson, wife Betty (Jones) Thompson, and his grandson, Joshua.

He will be sorely missed and survived by his children, Julie Thompson Hutchinson, Karen Thompson Keane, and Michael Thompson (Nancy), grandchildren, Thomas Keane (Sarah), Jennifer Keane, Jessica Keane Ottaviano (Nicholas), David Thompson (Heather), and Stephen Thompson (Ashley). LeRoy was also blessed with over a dozen great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held from 9-11 a.m. in the Community Room at Fred Hunter Funeral Home in Hollywood, Florida on Thursday, April 18, 2024, followed by a graveside service at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers and to continue LeRoy's commitment to give back and support engineering students, the family kindly requests to donate to the “LeRoy E. Thompson, Ph.D., PE. Endowed Scholarship". Donations can be made:

Online: Visit https://www.mineralumni.com/.

When filling out the forms be sure to click “Other” and enter "LeRoy E. Thompson, Ph.D., P.E. Endowed

Scholarship #926509.”

By Phone: Call the Miner Alumni Association at 1-800-566-4637.

By Mail: Send checks to the address below and make payable to the Miner Alumni Association with notes on the checks to indicate his scholarship.

Miner Alumni Association

1100 North Pine Street

Rolla, MO 65409

Attn: Renee Stone