Obituary of Wayne W. Thompson, Jr.

Wayne W. Thompson Jr., 89, of Willow Grove, passed away peacefully on February 21, 2024 surrounded by his family. He was the loving husband of 54 years of the late Carole Thompson until her passing in October 2015. Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of the late Wayne Sr. and Anne Thompson. His family moved to Jenkintown, PA in 1945, where he was lovingly raised with his two younger sisters Patricia (Corliss) and Diane (Heckler) who affectionately nicknamed him "Pim." While attending school he was involved in many activities, including class council, singing, playing football and basketball. He was a member of the 1952 Jenkintown boys Pennsylvania Class A State Championship team. Wayne's love of sports, especially golf and basketball, was established at an early age. The backyard of his Jenkintown home was adjacent to the original Old York Road Country Club. He enjoyed caddying and learning the golf game from his father, and spent his summers as a teen working in Cape May at the Carroll Villa Hotel where he developed a great love for the beautiful Jersey shore town. Upon graduation from Jenkintown High School in 1952, he attended The University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business where he obtained a degree in Financial Economics in 1957. After graduation he was drafted and proudly served with the US Army as a Cryptologist from 1957 to 1959, stationed at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. He then had the opportunity to work at a German castle, but with his strong family ties, wanted to go back to Pennsylvania. Here he started his professional career in finance at Philadelphia National Bank (PNB) in 1959, and met the love of his life, Carole. Wayne and Carole married in 1961. His career as an executive with PNB/Corestates spanned 36 years in commercial and private banking. Upon retirement, he enjoyed part-time jobs at Twining Valley Country Club and Barnes and Noble music department. Wayne was a life-long member of Old York Road Country Club. He was an accomplished golf player, having won numerous golf tournaments in his lifetime, including Club Champion and Parent/Child tournaments, Member/Guests, among others. He loved playing the game with family, friends and business associates. He played courses all over the country and at the beautiful St. Andrews course in Scotland. He was always practicing his swing when away from the course. Wayne's other passion was basketball. He faithfully followed the University of Penn Quakers for over 70 years. He loved going to the Palestra for games and would often travel wherever the Penn team was playing, whether it was a regular season road game, NCAA tournament game, and even the NCAA Final Four games in 1979. He was often an unofficial team parent and welcomed new players and their families. He took an active interest in team recruiting. He also enjoyed supporting and watching the Jenkintown High School boys and girls basketball teams, including the girls’ 2018 state championship win, and their 2021 2nd place finish. While raising the three children with Carole, he was involved in a wide array of community organizations as well. Whether it was the Hatboro borough council, local political committees, and other local volunteer groups, Wayne was an outgoing, gregarious soul who enjoyed people. Where ever he went he was bound to know someone, or make a lasting friendship. He was also a member of Grace Presbyterian Church in Jenkintown for over 70 years. Wayne is survived by his children: Wayne W. Thompson III, Laurie Garner, and Wendy Casper (Dave); seven grandchildren Jacqueline Herbert, Courtney Thompson, Lindsey Thompson, David Casper, Virginia Garner, James Casper, and Chloe Casper. He is also survived by his sister Diane (Heckler) and her husband Jay; brother-in-law Paul Corliss; 4 nephews and 5 nieces. He was preceded in death by his sister Patricia (Corliss) and nephew Jay Heckler. Relatives and friends will be received on Tuesday March 12, 2024 from 9:30-10:30 am at Grace Presbyterian Church, 444 Old York Rd (@Vista Rd), Jenkintown, PA with service immediately following in the sanctuary. Interment will be at Whitemarsh Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to: Grace Presbyterian Church, 444 Old York Rd, Jenkintown, PA 19046 https://gracejenkintown.org/financials/ The J. Wood Platt Scholarship Trust, 1974 Sproul Road, Suite 400, Broomall, PA 19008 Donate - John Wood Platt (plattscholar.org)