Joseph Thompson passed away on his 85th birthday, December 31st, 2020, surrounded by loved ones. Joe was born in Magnolia, IL in 1935. After completing high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he served at Fort Tilden, New York. It is there that he met his wife, Victoria. They were married in 1957. Joe took a job with the Santa Fe Railroad in the Chicago Area and attended night school, earning a B.S. in Civil Engineering. His 28-year career traversed several cities across the U.S.,...

Joseph Thompson passed away on his 85th birthday, December 31st, 2020, surrounded by loved ones. Joe was born in Magnolia, IL in 1935. After completing high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he served at Fort Tilden, New York. It is there that he met his wife, Victoria. They were married in 1957. Joe took a job with the Santa Fe Railroad in the Chicago Area and attended night school, earning a B.S. in Civil Engineering. His 28-year career traversed several cities across the U.S., building railways.  Then the next chapter would lead him to oversee several large-scale railway projects throughout California before retiring. He is survived by wife, Vicki, son, Chris, daughter, Vanessa and granddaughters Abby and Gillian. Joe fulfilled all of his dreams and will forever be missed. Services will be private. Please make any donations to The Salvation Army.