Earl Thompson

Earl Benjamin Thompson, 89, of Bartlesville passed away Sunday afternoon, April 26, 2020 at Bartlesville Care Center.

Earl was born December 13, 1930 at Sapulpa, Oklahoma to Edward C. Thompson and Henrietta (Wilmer) Thompson.  He spent his early years in Sapulpa, moving to Bartlesville with his family, when he was a teenager.  Earl completed his education in Bartlesville, graduating from Douglas High School.  He was a longtime member of Bethel A.M.E. Church where he served as a deacon and trustee for many years.  Earl was an active member of his church and loved his church family as his own.  He was a member of Westside Senior Citizens.  Earl enjoyed detailing cars and traveling up and down the Eastern seaboard.

Earl was a career welder and auto mechanic, working for a foundry in Troy, New York.  He married the love of his life, Ernestine Dukes in Columbia, South Carolina.  The Thompsons made their home in Bartlesville and began their retirement.  Earl was a soft-spoken gentleman, who cared about people, loved his family, treated his nephews and nieces like his children and everyone the right way.

Earl is survived by his beloved wife, Ernestine of the home; one sister, Claudia Laws and her husband, Wilbur of Gardenia, California and by a host of nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents;  by four brothers, Edward, Andrew, Eddie and the Rev. Jessie B. Thompson; by four sisters, Earline Thompson, Laura L. Evans, Mittie M. Jordon and Marietta “Puddin’” Mayberry and by his step-mother, Alberta Thompson.

Funeral services for Earl Thompson will be 10 a.m., Friday, May 1, 2020 at Arnold Moore & Neekamp Funeral Home with the Rev. Johnnie Mae Norman officiating.  Interment will follow in Bartlesville’s White Rose Cemetery, under the direction of Arnold Moore & Neekamp Funeral Home & Cremation Service.  Services are for the immediate family, only.  Friends and family may pay their respects at the funeral home Wednesday and Thursday, 9 am-8pm.  Visit www.honoringmemories.com to leave an online condolence.