Charles C. Thompson, Sr.—the father of Archbishop Thompson—dies at 83

Criterion staff report

Charles Coleman Thompson, Sr., the father of Archbishop Charles C. Thompson, died on Nov. 24. He was 83.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Nov. 27 at St. Francis Xavier Church in Mount Washington, Ky. Burial was in St. Charles Cemetery in St. Mary, Ky.

When he was installed as shepherd of the archdiocese on July 28, 2017, Archbishop Thompson described his father as “the greatest example of faith, hope and charity of any man I know.”

“And if I bear your spirit as I bear your name, this Archdiocese of Indianapolis will be blessed,” Archbishop Thompson continued, addressing his dad.

After the Mass, the elder Thompson spoke with The Criterion about how he and his wife Mary Joyce had always tried to be loving parents to the archbishop and his siblings.

“We’ve tried to support him in every way we could,” said Thompson, who was a retired inspector for General Electric. “We do the same for our other children, too. That’s just the way our family is.”

In another Criterion article preceding Archbishop Thompson’s installation, the archbishop described the atmosphere of faith that his parents created in the family home as he grew up.

“I’m from a very Catholic family,” Archbishop Thompson said. “My parents have just a wonderful ease. They’re very salt-of-the-earth kind of people. They just live their faith day by day. We prayed the rosary every night together. We said grace at all meals. It was just natural. It was almost like breathing for me.”

Charles Coleman Thompson, Sr., was born on Aug. 20, 1940, in St. Joseph, Ky., to the late Jack and Mildred (Martin) Thompson, the 11th of their 13 children.

He and his wife, Mary Joyce (Thomas) Thompson, who survives, grew up in Kentucky’s “Catholic Holy Land” in a rural central part of the state.

“We grew up in the country, out in Marion County,” said the archbishop’s father in a 2017 article in The Criterion. “We all went to church regularly. Our parents raised us to do the right thing, and that’s what we tried to do.”

He and Mary Joyce later moved to Louisville, where they were longtime members of St. Bernard Parish.

Thompson is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Mary Joyce; his daughter Lori Wilson and his sons, Archbishop Charles and Kenny Thompson; his brother Dennis Thompson; seven grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Memorial gifts may be sent to: St. Bernard Parish, 7500 Tangelo Dr., Louisville, KY 40228; St. Francis Xavier Parish, 155 Stringer Ln., Mount Washington, KY 40047; any local council of the Knights of Columbus; or any local chapter of Hosparus. †