William Edward Thompson, Jr., made his appearance on a snowy February 3, 1981 at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He was the first boy in a family of eight children. A bubbly, cheerful child, the family made a trip to Chicago, Illinois, in 1987 where the family was sealed to each other in a special temple ceremony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Bill lived in various states while his dad followed his USDA career in 1988. He enjoyed the beaches and theme parks of California, the greenery of Ohio, the wintery weather of Minnesota and the windy plains of South Dakota. Yet he never lost love for his birth state of Wisconsin where extended family gathered on Sunday noon for dinners at "old grandpa's" house and trips to the family farm where he could run and discover mischief in the vast fields.

At seven years old he was diagnosed with Legg-Calves Perthes disease, a degeneration of cartilage in his left hip, and endured a year of wearing a Scottish Rite brace. He maintained a positive spirit in spite of the difficulties of the brace. Bill endured the loss of his young sister Cassie in1991 which eventually led to the family settling in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Sadly, his dad passed in 1997 and changed Bill's outlook on life. He struggled on and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1999. Bill showed a profound talent for drama plays and art projects.

Wisconsin called Bill again and he moved to Cable, Wisconsin where he lived near his sister Jackie and he met the young woman who became the center of his life, Kari Houle. There he graduated from WITC with honors and was ambassador for the school. He moved on to Superior, Wisconsin to study pre-law. It was with great sorrow that the family learned that Bill had left this earthly life on March 24, 2026 at just 45 years old while in the town of Altoona, Wisconsin. He was cremated at Lenmark Funeral Home on March 31, 2026. 

Bill was preceded in death by his sister Cassandra Mae Thompson in 1991, his father William E. Thompson, Sr. in 1997, an uncle John Thompson, grandparents Ed and Luaine Thompson, Robert and Olga Schlub, and beloved grandparents and paternal and maternal aunts and uncles. Survivors include his long-term companion, Kari Houle, his mother Barbara J. Johnson, sisters Jackie Swanson, Jennifer P. Thompson, Angela I. Thompson, Cynthia L. Thompson and brothers Daniel A. Thompson and Bryan C. Thompson and many uncles, aunts and cousins. Needless to say, he was greeted with great joy by many loved ones as he left this troubled life to enter a world of love, peace and forgiveness.

The most heartfelt tribute to Bill's accomplishments and our love for him comes from his brother Bryan.

A tribute by Bryan Thompson

I didn’t miss him much knowing we will meet up once or twice a year when life allows for it. Able to roll out snarky and uber sarcastic jokes...but knowing it won’t happen again makes the time and distance hard to handle.

There are shows I’ve played where he travelled several states to attend because he knew it was important to me and in the videos of those shows, there’s one voice in the crowd that is heard above the rest. In a family that rarely gave support, he was there trying to break that pattern.

He was an extremely creative person. A lot of my humor and creative endeavors stemmed from him always coming up with things. While everyone else was quoting movie lines and mimicking, he was always up with skits and stories.

There’s always a lot to say. But now it can’t be said. And I suppose that’s the thing we all take for granted sometimes.