William Henry "Bonnie" Thompson Jr.

William “Bonnie” Thompson, 76, entered eternal life on Thursday, February 18th, 2021 at Spectrum Health - Lakeland, St. Joseph.

William was born in Braggadocio, MO, on December 24th, 1944. He was the oldest of 5 children born to Mary and William Henry Thompson Sr.

William graduated from Benton Harbor High School and attended Lake Michigan College. He was employed with the City of Benton Harbor as the Chief Building Inspector, where he retired after 36 years of service.

He enjoyed fishing, cooking, traveling, lecturing on life, and was an excellent road navigator.

We were blessed to learn many valuable lessons from William during his 76 years on this earth, among them: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto yourself”

He was known as a very intelligent and astute man that said what he meant and meant what he said.

He was a philosopher who taught us to always give a firm handshake and look them straight in the eye!

He was always combining his wisdom with many philosophers including Shakespeare. One such combination included “All the world is a stage, they have exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, but when the curtains come down, that’s it!”

All of the children in our family look up to and have an insurmountable amount of love and respect for him. He navigated life with simplicity and was a very hard-working man.

His spirit is carried on by his loving wife Erma Thompson of 20 years. He is further survived by his children: Sabina Jo Thompson, Gwendolyn (Leroy) Kirk, Keith (Rhonda) Thompson, his two blended children Dennis and Lakesha, both of Michigan; his brothers Wayne (Vansanta) Thompson; his sisters Judy (Anthony Sr) Williams and Donalyn (Sam) Biscoe, both of Texas; 11 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, family and friends.

He is preceded in death by his beloved mother Mary Fernandez; father William H. Thompson Sr.; son Ebony Thompson; Brothers Wilbert and Clifford Thompson.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, there will be a walk-through visitation only. Per his wishes, cremation will take place, and the family will celebrate his life privately.

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