Centennial Celebration: Don Thompson

This week, Bradenton resident Donald Thompson turns 100, and he doesn’t seem too fazed by it.

“I have nothing to do with it, really, I don’t,” he says. “It’s just one of those things.”

It seems Thompson’s life has been as fun and carefree as the man himself. Looking back on some of the biggest moments in national history, he laughs and shrugs them off. After 100 years, he’s seen more than most and doesn’t enjoy recounting historic events as much as his favorite personal stories, like his service in the Navy during World War II.

“They kept us there in Siam (now known as Thailand) for ship repairing but not a ship came in. That’s the story of my life,” he jokes.

Thompson shares stories of his friends and him playing pranks on each other and sneaking extra bacon and eggs from the trucks for breakfast, while stationed in Thailand. He was in his late 20s when he joined the Navy in 1943. By then he had already met his wife, Alicia, and had a successful career as an electrician in the automotive industry.

Growing up in Presto, Pa., Thompson lived with his coal-mining grandparents. There, he worked in the local market making 85 cents an hour. When it came time to go to college, he decided to move to Detroit, where he had an apprenticeship as an electrical engineer.

After raising their daughter Karen, who was born in the mid-’40s, Thompson and his wife drove across the United States for 25 years. From 1970 to 1995, the pair drove an RV and visited as many states as possible. During the trip, Thompson discovered a love for Arizona. The people, the landscape and the weather still make Thompson smile with nostalgia.

In 2005, after his wife died, Thompson moved to the East County, where his daughter Karen lives. Today, Thompson splits his time between reading and playing his favorite card game, Crazy Eights.

With two parties in his honor this week, Thompson says he has much to which to look forward. Family from around the world flew in for his party Saturday, while a second celebration was planned for Wednesday, at Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee.

Even though Thompson is no longer the strapping, prank-loving, 6-foot-4 sailor he once was, he still manages to make an impression.

Asked what advice he would give to a 20-something, he chuckled and blurted out, “Die young!”