Dean Thompson

Dean E. Thompson, along with his twin brother, was born July 12, 1928 in Claypool, Indiana to Ralph and Jessie Thompson. Dean’s parents and his brother, Gene, preceded him in death.

Dean graduated from Warsaw, Indiana High School and attended both Butler and Indiana Universities.

He was drafted into the Army during the Korean conflict on December 5, 1950 and served in Germany and the reserves, receiving an Honorable discharge on January 24, 1957.

In 1954, Dean joined Amoco Corporation, now British Petroleum, in Indianapolis, Indiana in their Regional Accounting Center. In 1965, he was promoted to their International Audit Center in New York City. His move entailed extensive travel throughout Amoco’s worldwide operations. In 1978, Dean was transferred to London, England for the purpose of establishing an audit center to oversee England, Ireland, the Scandinavian Countries, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In 1986, he elected to retire to Kansas City from London following 32 years with the company.

Dean first became interested in art through many visits to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the numerous museums of London. As his knowledge grew, he became a passionate collector and patron. During his years in London, Dean frequented the art galleries, antique shops and auction houses of Europe. His initial collections of extraordinary Art Nouveau and Art Deco objects eventually gave way to contemporary art. Upon his return to America, Dean built a renowned collection of contemporary ceramics. A longtime patron of Johnson County Community College and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, he gifted major works by Toshiko Takaezu, Richard DeVore, Adrian Saxe and Ken Ferguson to the museum.

Dean passed away on Feb 3, 2018. He leaves behind his beloved god-daughter, Jhaila and her grandfather, Anthony Taylor, as well as numerous close friends of many years.

A visitation will be held from 1-2 PM, with service at 2 PM, on Friday, February 9, at Johnson County Funeral Chapel, 11200 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS 66210. Entombment will follow at Johnson County Memorial Gardens in the indoor mausoleum.

Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of your choice.