Gaylord Kendrick Thompson

Gaylord Kendrick Thompson of The Willows Assisted Living Center, in Stuart, formerly a lifetime resident of Dexter, passed away December 22, 2017 at the Hospice facility at the Stuart Community Care Center. Memorial service will be at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 13, 2018 at United Methodist Church in Dexter. Family will greet friends at the church Saturday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Burial will be at the Dexter Cemetery at a later date. Gaylord was born February 1, 1924 in Montezuma, Iowa to Charlie and Zella Thompson. He was the youngest of seven sons in the large farm family that also included three sisters. He was married to Darlene Maroney/Thompson on November 5, 1944 at the Penn Center United Methodist Church, southwest of Earlham, Iowa. They were blessed with three children, Chuck, Christie, and youngest son, Ed. Gaylord was a farmhand many of his working years and finished his working career as a warehouseman at the Super Valu Warehouse in Urbandale. Gaylord was the archetypical, hard working, old farmer who could fix just about anything, and his family and neighborhood kids gave him plenty of work, which he was always happy to accommodate. Many of his retirement hours were spent in his woodworking shop where he was pleased to build numerous projects and give most of them away. He is survived by his son, Chuck (Karla), of Adel; daughter in law, Linda (Billy), of Waukee; and grandsons, Cory, of Stuart, Kurt (Electra), of Waukee and Eric, of Des Moines; along with several great grandchildren; and his youngest sister, Pat (Van) Greene, of Post Falls, Idaho. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Darlene, his daughter, Christie, and his youngest son, Ed, all his brothers and two of his sisters. Memorials may be directed to the family where they will be divided among the Dexter United Methodist Church, the Dexter Round House and several other local organizations. Online condolences may be left on this site.