Robert E. Thompson

On Tuesday, March 8, Bob Thompson, loving husband, father and grandpa, passed away in his home at the age of 69. Bob was born on April 19, 1952, in Portland, Oregon, to Sid and Dottie Thompson. The family moved to Pendleton in 1953 and were known for their family-owned and operated car dealership. Bob attended and graduated from Pendleton High School in 1970, and went to college at Blue Mountain Community College. He later took on the legacy of his father and continued to be in the auto industry. As an avid motorcycle racer, Bob also sold Hodaka motorcycles, made in Athena Oregon. Bob had many adventures racing all over the Pacific Northwest on his motorcycle with his closest friends. This was only the start of a long history with dirt bikes, street bikes and other power sports. Bob was also an avid hunter and fisherman and loved to go camping. His love of camping grew into adding RVs and campers at his auto dealership, which later became Thompson RV. In 1976, he met the love of his life, Carolyn Lawson, while she was working for U.S. Bank. The two were wed a few months later, and in 1979 welcomed their first child, Burton Thompson. In 1982, they welcomed their second child, Corrin Thompson. Bob was an excellent father and was very committed to his children. He spent many hours on the ballfield coaching his children and others in baseball, softball and in later years supporting all youth sports. Bob spent much of his time in the mountains, hunting and fishing with his brother, his son and his hunting buddies. As an avid hunter, he hunted in New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon, and was often the one who came home with a trophy. He would often say that it was just good luck… His love of hunting transitioned into his love of competitive shooting. He enjoyed shooting trap and tsporting clays but really thrived competing in the USPSA Handgun and 3-Gun Events. For over 10 years Bob and his son, Burton, competed in handgun and 3-gun matches. Bob being of a competitive nature from his earlier years in motorcycle competitions seem to carry over into the competitive shooting world. Bob thoroughly enjoyed the travel to and from all the events throughout the United States with his son. Bob enjoyed spending time with friends in the shooting world as a member of the Pilot Rock Gun Club USPSA, 3-Gun Nation, Rattlesnake Mountain Shooting Club and other gun clubs he could find that were putting on a shooting event. Bob was very active in the community serving as an ambassador for the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce, supporting the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and was president and served many years on the National Wild Turkey Federation. He was a vital helper in reintroducing the wild turkey all around Oregon. He loved to help out Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife trap and relocate turkeys. Bob lived an extremely active lifestyle. In 2011, he and his wife hiked the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim. They could also be seen tooling down the road on his Moto Guzzi enjoying the day. Members of the community would often see Bob walking around Pendleton training for his next hunt. In the last few years, Bob retired from the daily duties of Thompson RV but was still active behind the scenes. He enjoyed spending time in his shop with his classic cars, motorcycles and hours of adventures with grandchildren. Being a former car dealer, Bob was also a car buff. He loved to tinker in his shop on his old trucks and cars. In 2021, he got to cross off a bucket list item by participating in the “Great Race,” in which drivers race across multiple states in a vintage or antique collector car, his being a 1969 Corvette Stingray Convertible. Along with his lifelong friend and navigator, Wade McDougal, they placed sixth in the rookie division out of 40 rookie teams, and they placed an impressive 46th overall out of 105 teams. Bob is survived by his wife, Carolyn; his son, Burton, and wife, Jamie, and two grandchildren, Gwen and Bryce; his daughter, Corrin, and her three sons, Grady, Riven and Thor. A celebration of life will be held Saturday, April 2, 2022, at 3 p.m. in the Roy Raley Room at the Pendleton Roundup Grounds. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to: Blue Mountain Shooters (Funding for Youth Shooter Training), 1428 S.W. 45th St., Pendleton, OR 97801. Other donation suggestions would be the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation, NRA or the United States Practical Shooting Association.