Obituary of Dennis Thompson

Dennis F. Thompson, 65, of Jackson passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with leukemia which was the result of Agent Orange. He passed away surrounded by his loving family. Dennis was born in Brooklyn, NY. He attended St. John's Prep in Brooklyn and Queens College prior to entering military service. Dennis was a combat wounded veteran of the Vietnam War with the 25th Infantry Division. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Upon his return, he graduated from Montclair State University with degrees in educational psychology and history. He attended graduate school at Kean University and completed his Masters Program in Educational Psychology and a Professional Diploma in School Psychology. His Supervisory and Principal endorsements were awarded at Georgian Court College. The majority of his thirty-five professional career years were in the Neptune Township School System as a school psychologist, supervisor of special education and his beloved principalship in the Shark River Hills Elementary School. Dennis was also an adjunct instructor at Kean University and Ocean County Community College within psychology and social sciences. Dennis had full professional memberships within the National Association of School Psychology, ASCD, NJASCD, New Jersey Supervisors and Principals Association and the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Dennis was a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans and member of DAV Chapter 24, Toms River. He thoroughly enjoyed his principalship at the home of the SHARKS. It was his honor to work with parents, students and the best teaching staff in New Jersey. His career in the Neptune School System was the highlight of his professional experiences. He always strongly cheered for his New York Giants, New York Rangers, Notre Dame sports, bocce and golf. He thoroughly enjoyed being a reading buddy to first graders in the Jackson School System. Dennis was predeceased by his parents, William and Genevieve Thompson. He is survived by the love of his life, Diane Hewitt Thompson, his beloved daughters, Keryn and Kelsey and leaves behind his siblings, Virginia Thompson, Barbara Murphy and brother-in-law, Herb Murphy, Regina Wolfe, and William Thompson; his mother-in-law, Antoinette Hewitt; and sister-in-law, Kathleen Brown. Virginia Thompson was also his bone marrow transplant donor and provided him with two extra years of his life. He will be missed by his many nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews and cousins. Visitation will be held at Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on Friday, September 19, 2014 from 3:00 to 7:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9:30 AM on September 20, 2014 at St. Aloysius Church, 935 Bennetts Mills Road, Jackson. Entombment will follow at Ocean County Memorial Park, Toms River. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Dennis' memory to Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Fund, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Suite 204, Washington, DC 20037 or Rutgers Cancer Institute of NJ Foundation, 120 Albany Street, Tower 2, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. For information, directions or condolence messages to the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com.