Donald Odell Thompson

Donald O. Thompson of Le Sueur, long time Deputy Veterans Service Officer for Nicollet County died on Thursday, September 12, 2024 at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN.  A gathering of family and friends will be from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.on Wednesday, September 18th at the Kolden Funeral Home.   At 6:30 p.m. a short Prayer Service will precede military rites by the LeSueur Honor Guard at the Kolden Funeral Home. Interment will be at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery.  Memorials preferred in lieu of flowers.

Mr. Thompson was born January 9, 1939 to Ervin Thompson and Genora (Oman) Thompson in Dawson, MN. He attended public school in Dawson and after graduating he entered the Army and served in various assignments in the U.S., Alaska, Korea, Germany, and Vietnam. He retired as a Sergeant Major, August 31, 1977 for reasons of health. His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (6), and other awards and decorations for a total of 23 awards. After a short two year period of employment, he again left for reason of health issues and utilized his half days of stamina returning to college and obtained his BS in the field of Accounting and Business Administration from MSU. He then went to work as the Deputy Veterans Service Officer, Nicollet County, and retired in March 2001, again because of health issues.

He married Karen Lunak, April 14, 1962, in Le Sueur. He enjoyed spending time with his family, futzing with repairs, disassembling and fixing things, reading, and political activities seeking to persuade the government to overturn a requirement that mandated Military Retiree’s to forfeit promised retirement pay in order to qualify for Veterans’ Benefits, as well as a failure to provide promised free lifetime health benefits after completion of a military career. These efforts consumed almost 30 years and in 2003, working with thousands of Military Retirees, Veterans Service Organizations, CRLegislation, now known as VetsPac, noteworthy process was made enabling thousands of Military Retirees to draw their full retired pay now known as Combat Related Special Compensation. Limited gains were also made for other retirees but much remains to be done to gain the payment of retired pay and the promised free lifetime healthcare to all those serving to retirement.

He is survived by his wife, Karen of Le Sueur; 2 daughters, Tamera (Lt Col Kevin, USAF RET) Jost of Edmond, OK, and their two children, Zachary of Richfield, MN and Delaney of Oklahoma City, OK, Pamela (Tom) Schneider and son, Matthew of Burnsville, MN; 2 sisters, Elsie Marie and Violet (Keith) Haugland; 2 brothers, Jerome and Stanley (LaRae), and many nieces and nephews.

Donald is preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Ernest, Curtis and Erling; and sisters, Beulah Pederson and Shirley Luchsinger.