Wayne Thompson

MADISON-Wayne John Thompson passed away Friday November 24, 2017 at the Oakwood Memory Care Unit after a struggle with Alzheimer's.

Born October 9, 1937 to Lloyd Thompson and Florence Klimek of Wausau, Wisconsin, he is survived by his three children Peter Thompson (Susette), Deborah Thompson (Ted), and Laura Felz (Kenneth) and his three grandchildren Jacob Stone, Jared Stone and Max Thompson. Wayne is further survived by his sisters, Mary Lawrence and Lois Koepke, both of Wausau, WI.

Wayne is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin in the department of psychology where he did original published research with Harry Harlow on Visual Spatial perception of primates, he also studied surrogate Mother relationships defining the importance of contact comfort.

He worked for the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family services where he served as chief of the division of Decision Support Systems, where he was responsible for the MEDS program, a decision support data warehousing software that was ultimately adopted by 10 states to run their Medicare and Medicaid programs. This ground breaking development earned him a Smithsonian Medal of Honor and the leading computer magazine's top 100 most influential people in 2001.

Wayne had a zest for healthy living and physical fitness. He spent many years running marathons and was an active member of the running club Hash House Harriers. He later switched his athletic focus to long distance bicycling, which he continued to do daily well into his seventies.
Wayne was an avid UW Alumni Badger sports fan, supporting their programs with season tickets for football, basketball and hockey. One of his greatest loves was attending Badger games with his children and grandchildren.

In addition to the various sports venues, the UW Arboretum and Memorial Union Terrace were two of Wayne's favorite places to be.
He had a passion for gardening and as a Master Gardener, created breath-taking gardens at each of his homes.

He was an active member of both the Rotary Club and Toastmaster's. In all of these settings, at home and work, his infectious and hearty laugh brought joy to many and will be missed.

Many thanks go to Oakwood Village Covenant Oaks Memory Center where the kind and loving staff brought joy to this deserving man in his final years.

Visitation will be from 1-2:00 PM on Friday, December 1, 2017 at the Cress Center, 6021 University Ave., Madison, WI with a celebration of Wayne's life to begin at 2:00 PM. Private burial will take place at St. Michael's Cemetery in Wausau, WI.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be considered to public television.

Cress Center
6021 University Ave.
Madison, WI 53705
608-238-8406