Robert Lee ‘Bob’ Thompson, 92, of The Villages, Florida, passed away on October 26, 2016, at The Villages Hospice House, Cornerstone Hospice in The Villages.
Bob was born in Monroe, Louisiana to Robert and Myra Thompson on July 2, 1924. He attended high school at Central High in Chattanooga, Tennessee. At 16 years of age he and a friend joined the Marine Corps in November of 1940 and continued service until being honorably discharged in March of 1947. While in the Marines he fought in many battles. Two would leave a lasting imprint on him. The first was in the invasion of Guadalcanal where he received the one of two Purple Heart awards earned during his service. The LST boat that he was on was one of a group of boats carrying the first attack troops. It hit a reef as it was maneuvering to the shore and thought that they had beached. This triggered the front landing ramp to deploy early. Bob had to ditch his backpack, helmet and Browning automatic rifle so he could surface and swim ashore with only a machete. He picked up the rifle of a fallen Marine to continue the assault. Later he was hit in the back with shrapnel from a hand grenade. Months later after recovering from the wounds received at the battle of Guadalcanal he was fighting in Peleliu, an island in the South Pacific, and on the third day of a continuous battle he was shot with six machine gun rounds. Each bullet struck a different bone joint on his body from his ankle to his shoulder. They blew out his left ankle, left knee, left hand and wrist, and right shoulder. He spent two and a half years in the Chelsea Massachusetts Naval Hospital recovering from his war inflicted wounds. After the service he continued his education and earned a BS degree from Rollins College. As a lifelong entrepreneur, he owned many successful small businesses over the years in the Cocoa, Florida area. Bob was passionate about his many and varied interests. He was an accomplished artist and enjoyed working in various forms of art and was particularly talented in oil painting. Bob loved boating, fishing, shooting pool, woodworking, playing golf and dancing with his wife Norma. In his lifetime of playing golf he was very proud of having four hole-in-one shots. He received two Purple Hearts for his service in the Marine Corps and was involved in many military charitable organizations including Marine Corps League, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, the American Legion Post 0347 and the Purple Heart League.
Bob is survived by his wife, Norma of The Villages to whom he married in November, 1956. His death preceded their 60th wedding anniversary. His sons Randy (Carole) and Mark (Jeanette), his step-son Rick (Kim), grandchildren Rick, Corrie, Jason, Amy, Tony, Randy, Dana, and Chris, and great grandchildren Cassidy, Barrett, Joselyn, Jayda, Zachary, Colton, and Everett . He is preceded in death by his father, Robert, Sr., his mother, Myra, his brother, Floyd, and his sisters, Myra and Theo.
Graveside services will be held at the Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, Florida on Friday, November 4, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. with Reverend Christine Webb of New Covenant United Methodist Church officiating, full military honors will be conducted by Marine Corps League Honor Guard, Col. Phillip C. Delong, Detachment #1267. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to: The Villages Hospice House c/o Cornerstone Hospice Foundation, 2445 Lane Park Road, Tavares, FL 32778. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to Marine Corps League of The Villages and The Villages Hospice House staff for taking such wonderful care of Bob in his time of need.
