Paul Thompson

Paul Thompson, age 84, of Marshalltown, Iowa, went to be with his Lord and Savior on the morning of January 27, 2025 at Harmony Healthcare in Marshalltown.

Services for Paul will be held on Friday, January 31, 2025 beginning at 3:00 P.M. at the Marshalltown Church of the Nazarene. A visitation for family and friends will be held one hour prior to services. For additional information or to send a condolence to the family please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234.

Paul was born June 10, 1940 in Green Mountain, Iowa. He was the youngest of three children born to Leroy and Esther (Knights) Thompson. Paul attended school in Green Mountain where he later graduated. Paul was voted Class President his senior year. He started his college journey at Marshalltown Community College and completed his undergraduate degree at Olivet Nazarene University. It was here that he met his future wife, Mary Ahlemann. They were joined in marriage June 15th, 1963, at College Church in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Together they moved to Marshalltown, Iowa. They began a family of their own raising two sons, Jeremy and Joel.

Paul went back to school in order to complete his Master’s Degree at the University of Iowa. He was a 6th grade teacher in the Marshalltown Community School District. Paul was awarded The Golden Apple award for excellence in teaching, which he was very proud of. He spent 43 years with the school district, retiring in 2004 taking great pride with the impact education has on our community. In his early years of teaching, he worked with the Iowa State Education Association and the National Education Association to support teachers in Iowa and across the nation.

Paul’s faith was very important to him. He was a member of the Marshalltown Church of the Nazarene. Paul enjoyed serving at The Church of the Nazarene. From church Treasurer, to leading music, to picking up children on the bus on Sunday mornings, his desire to serve was always apparent.

Family was of the utmost importance, Paul cherished spending as much time as he was able to with his wife, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Additionally, he was an avid reader, escaping to the public library and returning with arms full of thick novels. He enjoyed listening to music and participating in singing groups from high school to adulthood. Another hobby was tending to his flower and vegetable gardens. He took pride in sharing the bounty from his garden in the Summer.

Throughout his years in Marshalltown, he also enjoyed a special group of friends whom he met during his undergrad at Olivet and all moved to Marshalltown. All the families had children of similar ages so getting together was natural and always a highlight. He deeply cherished these friends.

Those left to celebrate his memory are his wife, Mary Thompson; his children, Jeremy (Trudy) Thompson and Joel (Jill) Thompson; his grandchildren, Abigail Thompson, Andrew Thompson, Anna Thompson, Paige (Drew) Robertson, Kevin Thompson, Kendric Thompson and Cyrstin Thompson; and his great-grandchildren, Josie and Barrett Robertson.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Leroy and Esther; sisters, Doris Knowles and Helen Doser; and mother and father-in-law, Bill and Hilda Ahlemann.