Noel Thompson

Noel Thompson, age 77, of McIntosh, MN, passed away on Wednesday, January 8th, at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, ND. A celebration of life will be announced and held at a later date. Arrangements are with Carlin Family Funeral Service of McIntosh and messages of condolence may be shared at www.carlinfuneral.com.

Noel Thompson, age 77, of McIntosh, MN, passed away on Friday, January 10th, at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, ND. A celebration of life will be announced and held at a later date. Arrangements are with Carlin Family Funeral Service of McIntosh and messages of condolence may be shared at www.carlinfuneral.com. 

Noel Bruce Thompson "N.B." (Jessie Morgan, Magnhild Olsdatter, Ola Halvorsen, Halvor Olsen, Ola Eriksen II, Erik Olsen, Ola Olsen) was the fifth child born to Jessie (Morgan) Thompson and Lloyd Russell Thompson. Noel was born May 23, 1947 in Crookston, Polk County, Minnesota. He was baptized and confirmed at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in McIntosh, Minnesota. He attended school in McIntosh and graduated from high school in 1965. In June of 1965, he drove his sister Audrey and her four children to Alaska to join her husband who had gone earlier in the year. Noel returned to Minnesota and farmed with his Dad until 1968. He then returned to Alaska and worked for Castle Company Excavating. 

In 1974 he began working for Alaska General at Prudhoe Bay. He married Karen Vennes in 1976 in Scottsdale, Arizona. They were divorced in 1978. In 1979, Noel purchased the A & W Drive Inn in Fosston, Minnesota and operated it until 1986. After he sold the A & W, he returned to Alaska and went to work for Taywood, Berg & Rydell on Amchitka Island as a truck driver through 1987. Noel then went to work for Alaska Interstate Construction as a truck driver at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. One year while building an ice road on the ocean, his truck fell through the ice. After that experience, he gave up truck driving and became Construction Supervisor for the Badami project until British Petroleum shut it down, due to a low grade of oil in 1999.

In 2003, Noel went to Sakhalin Island Russia as a Construction Supervisor for Sakhalin Mornefte Montazh - Alaska Projects, a subsidiary of Alaska Interstate Construction. 

Noel and Lil retired and moved to the farm in McIntosh which was once owned by his father and mother. Noel enjoyed restoring old tractors and working in his yard.

Survivors include his sister, Audrey Holm of Fosston, MN; nieces, nephews and god-daughter, Melissa.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Lillian; his parents; brother, Lyle; sister, Wanda (Richard) LaVoi; brother-in-law, Bob Holm; and aunts and uncles.