More detail on this person: Mitchell S Thompson, 77, of Moses Lake WA passed away on Saturday, October 12, 2024 at home surrounded by his family. He was born in Van Nuys, CA, in 1947 to Robert Thompson and Virginia (Clyde) who raised 3 sons in Baldwin Park, CA where they owned and managed a small cactus nursery and Robert worked for Hormel Foods as a truck driver. After graduating from high school and completing 1 year of community college, Mitch travelled to Jackson, WY where he stayed and worked as a whitewater river guide, fishing guide, and carpenter. In 1969 Mitch completed US Army Helicopter School training at Fort Walters, TX serving in the US Army Signal Corps as a helicopter pilot, Chief Warrant Officer, in Vietnam through 1971. Following his military service, he was employed as a commercial helicopter pilot in Arizona and northern California. He returned to Wyoming in 1974 to work as a fishing & hunting guide, and owner of a whitewater rafting company. There he met Karen and they married in 1982 and started a family together. He often said "it was the best decision he ever made." Mitch resumed his aviation career in 1980 flying helicopters throughout the Rocky Mountain west, in Alaska, and Florida on government firefighting contracts, oil exploration contracts, search and rescues, medical transports, and filmmaking for news coverage, commercials and a movie. There are enough stories from this time to fill a book and he had a couple of experiences where our Lord was truly testing him. In the summer of 1981, he worked in Moab UT living in an RV at the Slickrock campground. On a dark night in Moab, lightning struck the propane distribution station beside the campground. Mitch was in the immediate vicinity and picked up a young child and drove him to the hospital. Later that summer, lifting off the ground to take off over a canyon in southern Utah, his helicopter nosed immediately into the ground and flipped upside down resulting in minor injuries to Mitch and 3 oil company geologists onboard. They spent the night on the canyon rim before being found the following day. A bolt in the rotor system gave way due to metal fatigue. Upon returning to work two days later in Moab, he was assigned to work with the western author Louis L'Amour flying him over a Mesa near Blanding UT for a few days as research for the book The Haunted Mesa. Mitch had read most of the author's 80+ books. In order to establish a more stable lifestyle for his growing family, Mitch owned and operated a photography and retail camera store for 5 years in Helena, MT. He began working for the US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) in 1993 at recreation sites on Cascade Reservoir in Idaho, and Scooteney Reservoir in central Washington state. He later moved to the USBR Lands Division in Ephrata, WA where he especially enjoyed working out in the field and the opportunity to work with students from Job Corps on projects at the recreation sites. Mitch is survived by his wife Karen of 42 years, his brother Robert Thompson of Springfield, MO; children Spencer of Bozeman, MT; Tristan (Kylie) of Kellogg, ID; Brendan (Amy) of Moses Lake, WA; Maryssa of Bangor, Wales, UK; Ryan (Stasia) of Spokane, WA , and five grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Virginia Thompson, and his younger brother Paul Thompson. A Visitation will be held for family and friends on Thursday, November 7 from 5:30-7:30 pm at Kayser's Chapel, 831 S Pioneer Way Moses Lake, WA. A funeral service is scheduled for Friday, November 8, 2024 at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, 200 N. Dale Road, Moses Lake, WA beginning with a 10:00 am Prayer of the Rosary, then at 10:30 am The Liturgy of the Word. Graveside services will follow at Pioneer Memorial Cemetery, 14403 Road 2 NE, Moses Lake, WA. Immediately after, the family invites friends to join them for a celebration of life reception at 1:00 in Our Lady of Fatima Center, 200 N. Dale Road, Moses Lake, WA.
Burial information: Pioneer Memorial Cemetery
This information was last updated 11/19/2024
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Date posted on this site: 10/13/2025
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