Funeral services for Lawrence Earl Thompson, USN ret, a resident of Eros, LA will be at 11:00 AM on Monday August 6, 2007, at Oak Grove Baptist Church in Eros, LA with Dr. Scott Thompson officiating. Interment will follow at Oak Grove cemetery in Eros, LA under the direction of the Kilpatrick Funeral Home of West Monroe. Death occurred on Saturday, August 4, 2007 after a long struggle with cardio-pulmonary disease. He was born May 3, 1922, in Calhoun, LA. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Ruby Mardell Morehead Thompson. He graduated from Okaloosa School in Ouachita Parish. A World War II WWII veteran, he was a proud "Tin Can" sailor, serving aboard destroyers in the Pacific Theater. He fought in naval battles to regain the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and the Philippines. Enemy action sank or severely damaged two of the ships, USS Porter DD-356 and USS Fletcher DD-445, on which he served. Another ship, the USS Perkins DD-377, was cut in two by an Australian troop carrier. His service in WWII is memorialized in the book Fading Warriors by Monroe author, Lee Estes. After the war, he pursued a career in the US Navy, rising to the rank of Chief Petty Officer. He served as a radioman aboard several ships based at ports in Norfolk, VA, Charleston, SC, and Panama City, FL, before becoming an instructor in the Navy's primary training school for radioman in San Diego, CA. Upon retirement from the Navy, he farmed and operated the old Cadeville Store. He later worked at the Agriculture Extension Service Building on Cypress Street in West Monroe. Earl was a Deacon and active member of the Oak Grove Baptist Church in west Ouachita Parish. He was a lifelong "ham radio" enthusiast callsign WA5FLR and was known to many "hams" in Northeast LA. Mr. Thompson is survived by a sister and three children: son Stanley Earl Thompson resides on the family farm near Eros; son Edgar Dale Thompson and wife Laurie Lightner Thompson live in Dallas TX; daughter Phyllis Ann Thompson Brode lives with her husband Theodore Hamilton "Ted" Brode III in West Monroe. His sister, Cecile Louise Thompson Fowler Saylor, lives with husband Ken Saylor in West Ouachita Parish. He left five grandchildren; Rachel Michelle Brode Huber, Sarah Elizabeth Brode, Rebekah Kathleen Brode, Theodore Hamilton Brode IV, and Emily Katherine Thompson; and three great-grandchildren, William Wallace "Liam" Huber, Jackson Andrew Huber, and Brode Wade Huber, children of Rachel and Bruce Huber of Monroe LA. Pallbearers will be Wayne and Steve Murray, Bruce Huber, Richie Evans, Kevin Fuller and Steve Johnson. Honorary pallbearers will be cousins Harold, Joe, and Robert Murray along with brothers-in-law Ken Saylor, Gerald Morehead and Billy Fuller. The family wishes to express their gratitude to Dr. Maran, Dr. Kay Kovac, the ER and SICU staff at SFMC and the staff of Patient≠s Choice Hospice, in particular, Suzanne, R.N., and Rochelle. Memorials may be made in lieu of flowers to the Oak Grove Baptist Church building fund or to the Louisiana Baptist Children's Home. Visitation will be Sunday, August 5, 2007, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at the Kilpatrick Funeral Home of West Monroe. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.kilpratickfuneralhomes.com.