Morris Thompson

Cambridge- Morris James Thompson, age 93, passed away peacefully at his home on the farm. He went to his heavenly home at about 10:30pm on Thursday, December 1, 2022 in his sleep with son in the room with him.

Morris was born on August 28, 1929 to Rev. Henry and Mabel (Odlund) Thompson at home in the East and West Koshkonong churches parsonage in the town of Christiana in Dane Co. He attended Utica grade school and graduated from Stoughton High School with the Class of 1947. Morris enlisted in the US Naval Reserve in his senior year of high school and served 11 years.  He attained the rank of 2nd Class Petty officer in the Construction Battalion, known as the Navy Seabees, as a heavy equipment operator.

Morris met the love of his life, Mary Kathryn Kuehn (who he was married to for 64 years until her death), at Lutherdale Bible Camp in Elkhorn, WI. They asked if anyone needed a ride to the roller rink for one of their activities to stand up. Mary stood up and Morris said, “I’ll take you.” These were his famous first words to her. They were married in Brandon on October 12, 1957 by Morris’s father, Rev. Henry Thompson. After getting married, they lived in Madison and after about a year they moved to the farm they purchased in the Cambridge area.

Over all of the years of his life, Morris started out with his own dump truck business which he sold to become sales manager for Klongland Hatchery in Stoughton. In 1959, Morris started farming and, in later years, added custom combine harvesting and grain hauling.  In 1982, he and his family added a long-haul trucking business hauling refrigerated freight from Wisconsin to California with the help of many good drivers.  They mainly hauled for Roundy’s Food in Milwaukee, WI which they retired from in late 1999.  In 1991, Morris wanted to have a dump truck again as he did as a young man.  He hauled seasonally as an owner/operator for Mary’s Trucking, Deerfield, WI mainly in the Madison area.  In the Fall of 2013, at age 84, he parked the Kenworth tri-axle dump truck and retired from dump trucking.  He retired from doing custom combining at the end of Fall, 2014.  He had sold his farms to son, Jim, in 1994, but continued to live there with his son and his wife, Mary, until she passed away on October 22, 2021.  He continued living there with his son until he passed away.  He was a very Godly man.  He was friendly, kind, and caring.  He was proud of his Norwegian heritage, loved eating lutefisk and lefse, and loved telling Norwegian jokes.

Morris helped start several churches.  He was on many church boards, the Lakeland Egg Co-op Board, the Cambridge School Board, and was a member of the Sons of Norway.  He was trusting in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and was looking forward to spending eternity in Heaven.

Morris is survived by his son, Jim; daughter, Wendy (Dan) Johannes and Wendy’s children, Erica (Peter) Koenke and Danny Johannes and great-grandchild, Elijah Koenke. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Mary; and siblings, Marion (Roger) Juel, Henry “Hank” Thompson Jr., and Naomi Lauridsen.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, December 12, 2022 at Bible Baptist Church of Utica, 2095 County Road W, Utica. Burial will follow in Roselawn Memorial Park. Friends may greet the family from 10:00 AM until the time of services at church on Monday.

As his son, I have written all this about my dad and am honored and blessed to have him as my dad and best friend. This is only a short story of his life and much more could be written. Thank you, dad, for giving me life and it was my joy and privilege to be with you until the very end of your life on earth. I look forward to being in Heaven with you one day. Love, Jim.

Please share your memories of Morris by posting on his Tribute Wall.

Cress Funeral Service

206 W. Prospect Street, PO Box 231, Stoughton

(608) 873-9244