William 'Don' Thompson Sr.
January 29, 1923 – May 23, 2016
William “Don” Thompson Sr., 93, of Ephrata passed peacefully to the Lord at Central Washington Hospital on May 23, 2016 with his grandson Richard by his side. Don was born on Jan. 29, 1923 in Lewiston, Idaho. He and his family lived in many towns in the western U.S. as his dad was a J.C. Penney manager. In Longmont, Colo., Don joined the Colorado National Guard at the age of 15.
He entered World War II, where he served in the Philippines as a second lieutenant on a re-supply ship. After the war, he converted to the Washington National Guard stationed in Ephrata and served as its commander for many years, retiring as a major. Don married his wife of 68 years, Rowana, on April 4, 1945. He graduated from Washington State University with a pharmacy degree. He and his young family moved to Ephrata in 1952, where they lived for the rest of their lives. For a few years, he worked double shifts in a local drugstore, then bought Don’s Rexall Drug in 1954, renaming it Don’s Pharmacy. He owned and operated it for 36 years. After he sold the drugstore, he went into relief pharmacy, then worked as an emergency room pharmacist at Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake for several years, completing his pharmacy career at Super 1 Pharmacy at the age of 86. We believe that he was the longest practicing pharmacist in the state.
Don dedicated his life to his family and his business. It seems like his only day off (Sunday) didn’t go by without someone calling the house saying that they had forgotten to refill their prescription. After saying some words under his breath, he always jumped in his car and went down to open the store and fill their prescription. Don was a caring husband and father and was a master woodworker, avid gardener, private pilot and ham radio operator and he hiked most of the Northern Cascades.
Don was a proud veteran of World War II, a 70-plus-year member of the American Legion and a member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church for 66 years.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Rowana, three years ago, his parents and three grandchildren. He leaves behind his sister Gwen Galey of Boise, Idaho; oldest son Don Jr. (Diane) and great-grandson Aiden of Ephrata; son Rod of Vaughn, Mont. with two grandsons, Craig (Christie) of Lynnwood, Wash. and great-granddaughter Kylie, and Richard (Jois) of North Bend, Wash.; daughter Janice of Moses Lake and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m, Friday, Dec. 2, at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, 323 E St SW, Ephrata. Military Honor Guard and lunch will follow, with burial in Mitchell, Ind. next to his loving wife. In lieu of flowers, please donate to woundedwarriors.org. Please express your thoughts and memories for the family at www.nicolesfuneralhome.com.