Tribute Wall
Plant a tree in memory of Earle
An environmentally friendly option
1 tree(s) planted in memory of Earle Thompson, Jr.
Provide comfort for the family by sending flowers or planting a tree in memory of Earle Thompson, Jr. .
Guaranteed hand delivery by a local florist
Loading...
P
Peter Predella posted a condolence
Sunday, December 3, 2023
The following piece was written by Lieutenant Earle Alfred Thompson Jr., in July of 1971, on the day before his retirement from the United States Navy after 27 years of dedicated service:
I Was Once A Navy Man
I love the Navy. I love standing on deck, on a long voyage with the sea in my face and ocean winds whipping in from everywhere - the feel of a giant steel ship beneath me, its engines driving me against the sea.
I love the Navy, the clanging of steel, the ringing of the ship’s bell, the foghorns, and the joyous laughter of Navy men “Swabbies” while they work.
I love the ships of the Navy - the nervous darting of destroyers, the sleek cruisers, majestic battleships, and the steady solid carriers.
I love the names of Navy ships: Midway, Hornet, Enterprise, Sea Wolf, Iwo Jima, Wasp, Shangrila, and Constitution - all majestic ships of the line.
I love the sounds of Navy music, the tempo of the Navy band, Navy whites and the spicy scents of a foreign port.
I love the shipmates that I sailed with: the kid from the cornfields of Iowa, my pal from the east side of New York City, an Irish guy from Southie in Boston, the boogie-boarders of California, and of course the ‘drawling’ friendly Texans. From all parts of the country they came, farms from mid-western New England, cities, mountains and prairies alike - all Americans, all comrades in arms, and all men of the sea.
I love the adventure in my heart when the ship pulls out to sea. I love the electric thrill of sailing home again, with waving hands of welcome, from family and friends waiting on the shore.
The work is hard, and the going is rough at times, but there is always the companionship of robust Navy laughter, and the “devil-may-care” philosophy of those at sea.
And after a day of hard duty, there is serenity in the sea at dusk as whitecaps dance across the ocean waves. The sea at night is mysterious, but there is calm in the Navy at night, under the masthead lights, the red and green side lights, and the lights astern as they cut through the night and look like a mirror of stars in the darkness.
There are also those quiet nights, and the quiet of the mid-watch when the ghosts of all the world stand with you. And then there’s always the smell of coffee brewing in the ship’s galley.
I love the legends of the old Navy and the men who made them. I love the proud names of true Navy heros: Halsey, Nimitz, Perry, Farragut, and John Paul Jones.
A man can discover a lot in the Navy. Comrades in arms, pride in country. Above all, a man can find himself.
In years to come, when a sailor is home from the sea, he will still remember with fondness the ocean spray on his face when the sea got angry. There will come a faint aroma of fresh paint in his nostrils, the echo of hearty laughter of the seafaring men who were once close companions.
Landlocked from the sea, he will grow wistful of his Navy days when the sea belonged to him and a new port of call was always just over the horizon. Remembering all this, he will stand tall and say, “I was once a Navy man.”
P
Peter Predella posted a condolence
Sunday, December 3, 2023
Earle Albert Thompson Jr. was born in Braintree, Massachusetts on December 7th 1926, nearly 97 years ago. He was the first-born child of Victoria Jameson and Earle Thompson Sr., and raised nearby on Elmlawn Road alongside his younger sisters, the late Marjorie Ouellette and Jean Predella.
Earle attended Braintree public schools and graduated from BHS in 1944. In August of that year, during the height of WWII, he enlisted in the Navy and was assigned to boot camp in Sampson, NY.
Earle’s first Naval assignment came quickly in December that same year. He deployed aboard the USS Eagan, a destroyer-class ship which was sunk by kamikaze in April of 1945, just a few months before V-J Day and the surrender of Japan later that September. Needless to say, Earle somehow survived that attack, then served a two-year stint aboard the USS Truesdale, an attack cargo ship, just as the war was mercifully ending.
In 1947, while still serving in the Navy, he attended Franklin Technical School in Boston, where he graduated with an associates degree in power electricity and electronics.
Following that, during the Korean War, he was assigned to serve aboard the USS Northampton, a light command cruiser providing critical satellite-based communications between naval fleets patrolling the Atlantic, until 1952.
The following year Earle was assigned to attend a Navy Fire Control School in Anacostia, MD before deploying on the USS New Jersey in 1954. The New Jersey was a bad-ass, Iowa-class battleship fondly referred to as the “Big J”. He told my brother it was his favorite ship. It shelled targets on Guam and Okinawa and screened aircraft carriers in the Marshall Islands before eventually becoming the only battleship to provide gunfire support during the Vietnam War.
Later, Earle went on to pursue more engineering studies at Ohio State University and graduated in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electricity and Electronics. At Ohio State, Earle became the school’s ROTC (Reserve Officer’s Training Corps) Instructor, preparing young adults to become Naval officers, until about 1959.
That’s when the sea called him back.
He served aboard the USS Helena, a heavy-class cruiser that undertook patrol and readiness operations out of Long Beach, CA.
In 1960, Earle, recognized for having electronics expertise, was directed to train at the newly constructed Atlantic Polaris Missile Facility for the handling and launch of Terrier, Tarter and Hawk missiles using cutting-edge electronic guidance technologies. After training he was stationed aboard the USS Hoel, another bad-ass guided-missile destroyer out of San Diego, which also served search and rescue patrol near Da Nang. His ship fired 2,100 rounds of munitions - destroying 20 enemy structures and damaging 61 military buildings, eight trench networks, five roads and three munitions bunkers during the Vietnam War. His ship later provided weaponry cover for the aircraft carrier called Coral Sea near Hong Kong, and it rescued a pilot after his A-4 Skyhawk had crashed into the ocean.
Earle was later recognized for his loyalty to the armed services of the United States of America, made a Naval Lieutenant and attended a CA-based Naval Officers School in 1968 - all this before being assigned to a Senior Military Police Officers post in Naples, Italy.
In 1971, Earle retired from the armed services as a highly decorated veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War before eventually settling down to live in Kauai, a quaint Hawaiian town with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean on which he served.
We are proud to honor Earle Albert Thompson Jr., here for his dedication to this country; for his commitment to securing our shores, and for his unfailing demonstration of courage - at home, abroad and at sea.
D
David and Jane Worrick posted a condolence
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Earle was a dear friend to us. It was a privilege and honor to have known him. We will miss him very much. Jane and David Worrick and Amy.
J
Jacqui Feid posted a condolence
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
I have known Earle for many years as a neighbor and friend in Meadow Woods. I often teased him as the “Old Goat” when chatting or sharing a treat I brought him. He and Barbara were outstanding friends and I will truly miss his laugh and his stories, though I have numerous little momentous he made for me over the years. RIP with your lady, dear friend.
J
Joanna posted a condolence
Monday, November 27, 2023
I am so sorry for the loss of your Uncle Earle. I got to know him well during his time at the VA in Brockton. It was a true honor and pleasure to help care for him. We had many conversations about donkeys and as an equestrian myself it was memorable for me to be able to share a little of my life with Earle about my horses. I truly will miss his smile and him playing the harmonica to us. may he rest in eternal peace forevermore. Joanna
P
Peter Predella uploaded photo(s)
Monday, November 27, 2023
/public-file/1465/Ultra/Image_jpg.jpg
Earle Thompson (bottom right) with family as a young man.
P
Peter Predella uploaded photo(s)
Monday, November 27, 2023
/public-file/1464/Ultra/Image_jpg.jpg
Earle Thompson and his sister Jean Predella
P
Pete, Lisa, Katie and Corey Predella uploaded photo(s)
Monday, November 27, 2023
/public-file/1463/Ultra/Image_jpg.jpg
Uncle Earle was always a bit of a mystery to the Predella Family. His many years of Navy service deployments and eventual retirement to Hawaii did not allow us to know him well. When able to visit Massachusetts, he always brought his hearty laugh and a big smile - but those occasions were few and far between.
Still, I personally felt a connection to Uncle Earle, a connection that went beyond my shared middle name and the few stories my mom had shared about her brother. When Lisa and I decided to marry in Hawaii, we asked Uncle Earle to be our ceremonial witness, which he accepted with great delight. I still remember his ear to ear grin at the ceremony, thrilled for us and for his chance to be part of his family again. Soon the connection became larger than the life we had heard so little about.
He met us at the airport and gave us leis that he handmade from sea shells picked from the shore where he lived in Kapa’a. Then he spent the day with us, showing us the beauty of Kawai through his eyes, and in the process, sharing a little more of who he was and what he loved.
That night, he cooked us dinner and entertained us with piano playing and stories of his past. His neighbors called him Tommy and he was the neighborhood fix-it man. His home next to a slow moving green river was modest and filled with exquisite and sometimes odd crafts he made by hand.
He told us of a woman named Barbara who he had gone to high school with and hoped to one day meet again. He was gracious and appreciative of his place during our wedding and had lovely words of encouragement as we left him behind to return home.
I believe that occasion was when he decided to come back to the northeast, be closer to family and find Barbara. Uncle Earle soon became a regular at family gatherings, eventually married Barbara and set out to live his remaining days in the area where he was born and grew up, nearly 100 years ago.
The Predellas were blessed to have him nearby again. He found peace and happiness late in life and, now, we will miss him dearly. God bless Uncle Earle, a decorated Navyman and the last of a great family generation.
A Memorial Tree was planted for Earle Thompson, Jr.
Sunday, November 26, 2023
//s3.amazonaws.com/skins.funeraltechweb.com/tribute-store/memorial-tree.jpg
We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ the staff at Shepherd Funeral & Cremation Service - Carver Join in honoring their life - plant a memorial tree
Please wait
E
The family of Earle A. Thompson, Jr. uploaded a photo
Sunday, November 26, 2023
/tribute-images/3282/Ultra/Earle-Thompson-Jr.jpeg
Please wait
(781) 585-4453
216 Main Street
Kingston, MA 02364
116 Main Street
Carver, MA 02330
For all mailings please use:
P O Box 325
Kingston, MA 02364
Looking for something you can't find? We make it easy to get the answers you need. Please feel free to contact us at anytime