Bryant Armer Thompson

Bryant Armer Thompson, loving husband and father, born July 1, 1929 in Norwood, MA, son of the late Marie Cannar and Bryant Niles Thompson, passed away April 27, 2023 in Utah at the age of 93. Mr. Thompson (known to all as “Cap”) married Ellaine Schlote in May of 1950.  They remained married until her death in 1996.  He married Marie Brown in 1997 and lived in California, Illinois and Florida until her death in 2022.  He is survived by his children, Mrs. Christy Wilson (Jim), Severna Park MD, Mrs. Scottie Button (Alan), Phoenix, AZ, Mrs. Tomi Busch (Andy), Fruit Heights, UT and Mr. Mark Thompson (Penny), Champaign, IL, and a combined 9 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.   

Bryant attended Santa Monica High School and enlisted in the Air Force in 1947 on the day the Army Air Corp became the United States Air Force. In 1956 he attended Officers Candidate School and was commissioned a Lieutenant achieving the rank of Captain at his retirement. A model enthusiast, Mr. Thompson, throughout his Air Force career, helped organize modeling clubs at Tyndall, Moody, Chitose (Japan), Amarillo and Chanute Air Force Bases that enriched the lives of countless airmen. He competed in 15 National model airplane competitions making the "Air Force National Team Champions” team for four years. Four times he won the AF worldwide championship, the last being in 1967.

As his career developed into model rockets so did his hobby expertise and he went into model rocketry securing the National record in 1960 and highpoint champion the following year.  He served on many AMA and NAR boards and competed in several international meets. Other honors include the AMA Meritorious Service Award and the Model Aviation Hall of Fame in 2002.

He and Ellaine opened Slot and Wing Hobbies in Rantoul, Il just outside Chanute Air Force Base in 1965 creating a diversion for Air Force personnel and local residents who enjoyed slot cars, model airplanes, rockets and numerous arts and crafts. It wasn't too long after that when they expanded into Champaign,  Illinois. They sold the stores in 1985 and retired to their home in Fort Bragg, CA. He spent many years building model boats of all kinds with world class craftsmanship and still dabbled with model airplanes and other hobbies.

His accomplishments are many including leadership on model teams as well as competition management, publications, public relations for Midwest Products and product manager for Falcon Trading Company and numerous modeling kits.

He made his home in Utah in early 2022. Cap and Ellaine will be interred at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, tribute donations should be made to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en or through the mail at Shriners Hospitals for Children, PO Box 947765, Atlanta, GA 30394.