In Memory of Donald Thompson
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Donald Thompson will be missed
Neighbors tried to break in and save an 81-year-old Jefferson Hills man from a fire early Thursday morning but were driven back by thick smoke.
Donald Thompson, 81, died in the 12:50 a.m. fire on Foster Street that destroyed the house he had lived in for more than 30 years.
"I had my front door open when I heard my neighbor yelling about a fire," said James Stallard, 50, who lives across the street from the back of Thompson's house.
Running to his neighbor's aid in his shorts and bare feet, Stallard said he picked up an ax handle that was sitting on the front porch and started smashing open windows to vent the thick smoke and try to find Thompson.
"I couldn't see anything in there. I just kept banging on the windows and doors, yelling 'Wake up, wake up,' " he said. "The smoke was almost as hot as the fire."
An autopsy was conducted on Thompson yesterday, but the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office has not yet ruled on his cause of death.
Another neighbor, Robert Giehring, 64, said he used a flashlight to try and find Thompson from the outside but found the smoke too intense to see anything or to go inside. When police and firefighters arrived, Stallard pointed them toward a back room where he often saw Thompson's television on through a window, but they had trouble accessing it because the door appeared to be partially blocked by furniture, he said.
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal had not yet officially determined the cause of the fire yesterday, but neighbors suspected Thompson may have been burning candles after Wednesday afternoon's heavy thunderstorms knocked out power to the neighborhood.
Thompson was declared dead at 4:05 a.m., according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office.
His son-in-law Dale Galloway, 55, said Thompson was still working 40 hours a week at the West Mifflin Wal-Mart in the frozen foods section.
"He had more gumption for an 81-year-old man than most guys I know," Galloway said. "He just liked to keep busy."
After serving as an Army radio operator in Alaska during the Korean War, Thompson moved to Jefferson Hills in 1978 and worked as an independent carpenter and contractor. He and his family built the addition and porch at the rear of the small, two-story house, which was left smashed and charred by the fire.
Thompson lived alone in the house, his wife having died several years ago. He is survived by two daughters, four granddaughters and one grandson.
Donald Thompson, 81, died in the 12:50 a.m. fire on Foster Street that destroyed the house he had lived in for more than 30 years.
"I had my front door open when I heard my neighbor yelling about a fire," said James Stallard, 50, who lives across the street from the back of Thompson's house.
Running to his neighbor's aid in his shorts and bare feet, Stallard said he picked up an ax handle that was sitting on the front porch and started smashing open windows to vent the thick smoke and try to find Thompson.
"I couldn't see anything in there. I just kept banging on the windows and doors, yelling 'Wake up, wake up,' " he said. "The smoke was almost as hot as the fire."
An autopsy was conducted on Thompson yesterday, but the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office has not yet ruled on his cause of death.
Another neighbor, Robert Giehring, 64, said he used a flashlight to try and find Thompson from the outside but found the smoke too intense to see anything or to go inside. When police and firefighters arrived, Stallard pointed them toward a back room where he often saw Thompson's television on through a window, but they had trouble accessing it because the door appeared to be partially blocked by furniture, he said.
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal had not yet officially determined the cause of the fire yesterday, but neighbors suspected Thompson may have been burning candles after Wednesday afternoon's heavy thunderstorms knocked out power to the neighborhood.
Thompson was declared dead at 4:05 a.m., according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office.
His son-in-law Dale Galloway, 55, said Thompson was still working 40 hours a week at the West Mifflin Wal-Mart in the frozen foods section.
"He had more gumption for an 81-year-old man than most guys I know," Galloway said. "He just liked to keep busy."
After serving as an Army radio operator in Alaska during the Korean War, Thompson moved to Jefferson Hills in 1978 and worked as an independent carpenter and contractor. He and his family built the addition and porch at the rear of the small, two-story house, which was left smashed and charred by the fire.
Thompson lived alone in the house, his wife having died several years ago. He is survived by two daughters, four granddaughters and one grandson.
FINNEY FUNERAL HOME
DONALD A. "DON" THOMPSON
THOMPSON DONALD A. "DON" 81, of Jefferson Hills, passed away on September 23, 2010. He was born in Guilford, Maine on September 3, 1929 to the late Maurice Stanley and Elida Ruth (Noddin) Thompson. He was a resident of Jefferson Hills for 57 years. He served his country in the Army during the Korean conflict and worked in communications in Durandee, Alaska. He was a retired carpenter for DiMarco Construction; he also worked at Wal-Mart in West Mifflin in the frozen food department and was a member of the White Oak American Legion. He is survived by his two daughters, Robin (Dale) Gallaway of Clairton and Cheryl (Mike) Craig of Port Vue, brother, Wayne E. (Betty) Thompson of Guilford, ME, sister, Gloria (John) Ruland of Elizabethtown, IN, 5 grandchildren, David Gallaway of Dravosburg, Dawn Gallaway of Clairton, Leanne Gallaway of Clairton, Carla (Mike) Lossner of Liberty Boro, Jaclyn Craig of North Belle Vernon, 3 great-grandchildren, Jimmy, Thomas and Laela, and nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Shirley Mae Daerr Thompson who passed in 2004. Friends and family will be received on Sunday, September 26, 2010 at S.M. FINNEY FUNERAL HOME, 432 N. 6th Street, Clairton, PA from 12-4 and 7-9. Funeral Service will be held at the funeral home on Monday Sept. 27, 2010 at 11AM.
THOMPSON DONALD A. "DON" 81, of Jefferson Hills, passed away on September 23, 2010. He was born in Guilford, Maine on September 3, 1929 to the late Maurice Stanley and Elida Ruth (Noddin) Thompson. He was a resident of Jefferson Hills for 57 years. He served his country in the Army during the Korean conflict and worked in communications in Durandee, Alaska. He was a retired carpenter for DiMarco Construction; he also worked at Wal-Mart in West Mifflin in the frozen food department and was a member of the White Oak American Legion. He is survived by his two daughters, Robin (Dale) Gallaway of Clairton and Cheryl (Mike) Craig of Port Vue, brother, Wayne E. (Betty) Thompson of Guilford, ME, sister, Gloria (John) Ruland of Elizabethtown, IN, 5 grandchildren, David Gallaway of Dravosburg, Dawn Gallaway of Clairton, Leanne Gallaway of Clairton, Carla (Mike) Lossner of Liberty Boro, Jaclyn Craig of North Belle Vernon, 3 great-grandchildren, Jimmy, Thomas and Laela, and nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Shirley Mae Daerr Thompson who passed in 2004. Friends and family will be received on Sunday, September 26, 2010 at S.M. FINNEY FUNERAL HOME, 432 N. 6th Street, Clairton, PA from 12-4 and 7-9. Funeral Service will be held at the funeral home on Monday Sept. 27, 2010 at 11AM.
