Myrl Edwin Thompson Sr.

Myrl Edwin Thompson Sr., 89, died Jan. 30, 2006, at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, with his family at his side. Mr. Thompson was born Jan. 26, 1917, in Comfort, W.Va. He was the son of Jesse E. and Laura A. (Collins) Thompson.

He moved to the Territory of Alaska following his service in the U.S. Army during World War ll. He worked in many fields during his long life. These included the gas, chemical and construction industries, and as a military and civilian police officer. He retired from the Laborers Union in Alaska, and ran several successful small businesses.

Mr. Thompson was an avid hunter and fisherman. He loved the outdoors, and Alaska in particular.

He was a natural teacher and believed strongly in education and self-sufficiency. Truth and ethics were of the utmost importance to him and will be a family legacy that will last many generations.

&#8220He was a devoted family man; rarely did he miss watching a ballgame or event of any kind that his family was involved with, always being their biggest fan.

He was generous and giving, not just with his own family, but with numerous children he took in and raised.

Mr. Thompson is survived by his wife of 49 years, Maxine Thompson of Wasilla; sisters, Lee Garrett and Audrey Haspel of Virginia, and Sue Powney of Comfort, W.Va.; son, Carl Thompson of Belle, W.Va.; daughter, Claudette Edens of Fairport, N.Y.; daughter, Jacqueline Houston of Johnson City, Tenn.; son and daughter, Myrl Thompson and Laura Coleman of Wasilla; adopted son, Walter Boylan of North Carolina; grandsons, Jason Clark of North Carolina, Seth Moore and Brody Coleman, of Wasilla, and Carl Thompson of Kanawha, W.Va.; granddaughters, Cindy Lange of Walworth, N.Y., Sandra Jurus of Penfield, N.Y., Angie Brammer of Melbourne, Fla., and Sheri Verble of Johnson City, Tenn., and 17 great-grandchildren.

Mr. Thompson was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary Alice (Kinder) Thompson; brothers, Arthur Ray Thompson and Roy Earl Thompson of Comfort, W.Va., and sisters, Mona Juanita Hunter of Florida and Wanda Ellen Harvath of Comfort, W.Va.