Garth Thompson's Obituary
Garth Thompson, age 73, passed away on Sunday, September 2, 2018 after a brief illness. Garth was an interesting character.Garth graduated from Joliet Catholic High School, Joliet, Illinois. After graduation he volunteered for the United States Marine Corps serving his country in Vietnam. During his thirteen month tour, Garth was wounded twice, awarded the Purple Heart with gold star and two Bronze Stars.After his discharge he attended the Finley College of Engineering in Kansas City, Missouri where he earned degrees in both Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.Garth began his flying career after being accepted to and completing the Navy’s prestigious Aviation Officer Candidate School. He earned his Wings of Gold and ultimately flew as a United States Coast Guard Search and Rescue pilot. Garth flew missions throughout the Caribbean, primarily out of Coast Guard Station Miami, Florida.Garth transferred to the Coast Guard Reserves and began flying for Eastern Air Lines. His time at Eastern was spent in their Test Flight Department flying the Lockheed L-1011.Upon closure of Eastern Air Lines in 1991, Garth flew for several small airlines. Eventually he settled in Memphis, Tennessee and continued his career flying for Express Airlines I (Northwest Airlink) later to be called Pinnacle Airlines.Garth spent many years in a variety of roles at the airline: line pilot, check airman and APD. Due to his skills in the training department, he was among the initial cadre of airmen chosen to train on and fly the Bombardier CRJ 200 jet aircraft. One of his last contributions to the airline before retirement was to develop a Leadership Course for new captains. Anyone who attended this class will not forget it.For his entire career Garth was a proud member of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). He served his fellow pilots in various ALPA positions including Chairman of the Master Executive Council (MEC).He was an avid military history buff and collected military memorabilia for 60 years. His collection of U. S. Military Shoulder Patches is considered one of the finest in the United States.Garth leaves behind his loving wife KT, his cousin Lynne (Tom) Dorough and their family, several nieces and nephews, and his many friends.
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