Madison - John Allen Thomson, 60, of Madison, passed away unexpectedly on January 20, 2018.

John was born in Yonkers, NY to Ian Thomson and Janet (Van Hemert) Thomson. He was raised on Long Island Sound in Rye, NY, and surprisingly settled in Wisconsin after stumbling on Beloit College in a snow storm, and then attending and graduating with a degree in Geology.

John spent most summers growing up in Brookfield, VT and developed a life-long love of animals – usually winning the family biggest Trout and longest snake contests (winning the 50 cent jackpot), and moving on to squirrels and owls…

John retired from the Douglas Stewart Company, having spent his entire career there, originally living in the Pacific Northwest as a sales manager, and then re-locating back to the Company headquarters in Madison, where he ultimately took over as VP of Operations.

John married his wife Sue in 1998, and led a full life – lots of trips to Europe and their beloved Italy, a gourmet griller and lover of fine wine, the symphony, and exploring the outdoors. Official mascot of Girls Poker Night and chief dog walker, John enjoyed retirement to the fullest. Friends will remember his fun-loving and kind nature.

John cherished his role as father to daughter, Erin. They often played guitar and sang together; she shared his penchant for animals as well, often bringing home critters for John’s special care.

John is survived by his parents, Ian and Janet Thomson; aunt, Nisette Van Hemert; wife, Susan (Schmidt) Thomson; daughter, Erin Elizabeth Thomson; sisters, Denise Thomson and Barbara (Thomson) Melton (Jim); niece, Jennifer Melton and nephew Nick Melton. He is preceded in death by brother, Peter Thomson.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Dane County Humane Society would be appreciated.

A visitation is scheduled for Friday, January 26th at 2 pm, with a funeral service to follow at 3 pm, both at First United Methodist Church, 203 Wisconsin Ave., Madison. All are welcome to attend and celebrate John’s life.

To view and sign this guestbook, please visit www.ryanfuneralservice.com

John Thomson

December 15, 1957 - January 20, 2018

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