John Thompson

John J. Thompson ("Jack"), 86, passed away on September 6, 2018 after a brief illness. He is deeply mourned by his family and friends. He was a kind and gentle man who touched many lives and will never be forgotten. Jack was born in New Brunswick, NJ in 1932 to John William Thompson and Julia Delaney Thompson. In 1949, he graduated from Saint Peters High School in New Brunswick as the class valedictorian. He went on to study at Rutgers University from which he graduated in 1953 with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry. Soon after graduating from Rutgers, which was during the Korean War, he entered the United States Coast Guard. In 1955, he spent six months at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut where he completed basic training, and was thereafter stationed aboard a USCG cutter at Morehead City, North Carolina. In 1957, he was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant JG. After his time in the Coast Guard, Jack began working at Union Carbide's offices in New York City as a sales correspondent to the Far East. In this job, he was able to travel through Europe, Hong Kong, and Japan. In the early 1960s, he began what would become a 30-year career in the research division of Merck & Co., Inc. in Rahway, NJ. In the early-1970s, while working at Merck, he received a Master's Degree in Psychology from the New School for Social Research in New York City. In the mid-1990s, Jack retired from Merck as the Director for Research Planning. Soon after retirement, he moved from New Jersey to the Pelican Bay section of Naples, Florida. Jack was a voracious reader, an avid follower of American politics, a patron of the arts, and unwavering supporter of his children. He also had many enduring friendships throughout his life. He loved to cook, eat out, and spend time with his children, grandchildren, and close friends from New Jersey. In his retirement years, Jack was happiest at his lovely condominium in Naples watching the sunsets on the Gulf of Mexico and enjoying time with his loved ones. He will be profoundly missed by his family and friends. He is survived by his children and grandchildren: Daughter Katherine Agoglia of Mendham, NJ and her children Nicholas and Thomas; daughter Christina Thompson-Perling of Bernardsville, NJ and her husband Jim Perling and their children William and John; daughter Caroline Thompson Gauthier of Westfield, NJ and her husband Dr. Don Gauthier and their children Isabelle, Michael, and Genevieve; and son Peter Thompson of Middletown, NJ and his wife Dr. Susan Ciardiello-Thompson.