Obituaries : Rex Thompson

Rex Thompson, 78, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 15, 2019 at his home in rural Vinton.

Memorial services will be held at 10:30 AM, Saturday, September 21, 2019 at the Phillips Funeral Home Chapel (212 E. 6^th Street) in Vinton, with Rev. Darren Huckens officiating.  Interment will be held at Evergreen Cemetery in Vinton with graveside military rites by the Ray and Virginia Boyer American Legion Post #166 of Shellsburg and Iowa Military Honors.  Visitation will be held from 4:00 until 7:00 PM, Friday at the funeral home.  A memorial fund has been established.

Rex was born on January 1, 1941 in Rock Falls, Illinois, the son of Richard and Ruie (Lowder) Thompson.  He graduated from Shellsburg high School in 1959.  Rex served his Country in the Army, stationed in Germany for two years.  On October 31, 1966, he married Paula Seneff in Lancaster, MO.

Rex had worked at Vinton Silo, transferring to West Union and Wisconsin with Midwest Silo.  He returned to Iowa and worked at Hawk-Bilt.  He later received a horticulture degree from Kirkwood Community College and worked at Peck’s Greenhouse for 15 years prior to his retirement.  He was an active member of the Ray and Virginia Boyer American Legion Post in Shellsburg and loved the outdoors, especially hunting, fishing and wintering in Texas.  Rex was a member of the “Hole in the Sock” gang, a group of cowboy re-enactors in Harpers Ferry for many years.  His greatest joy was time spent with his family.

He is survived by his wife Paula of Vinton; his grandchildren, Mark (April) Thompson and their children, Serenity and Justice of Newhall, Halie Mae (Jeremy) Meyer of Cedar Rapids, Jerry (Tiffany) Banghart of Cedar Rapids; great-grandson Jayden Harris; his sister Retta Rice of Shellsburg; and his sister-in-law Barb Thompson of Elberon.

He was preceded in death by his parents; son Randy Thompson; daughter Renae Thompson; and brother Ronnie Thompson.

Online condolences may be left at www.phillipsfuneralhomes.com.