James Edward Thompson

James “Jim” Edward Thompson, born November 19, 1926, in Cumberland, Kentucky, passed peacefully on Friday, May 29, 2026, at his Charlestown Senior Living apartment in Catonsville, Maryland. 

Devoted father of Douglas “Doug” Thompson and Laurie Wrightson. Loving grandfather of Connor (Paige), Garrett, and Kylie Wrightson, and great-grandfather to Maverick and Sophie Wrightson. Cherished brother to Carolyn Ann Stevens and Thomas Michael “Mike” Thompson. Predeceased by beloved wife, Cornelia “Connie” Winton Thompson; parents James Arthur Thompson and Laura Mae Wilson Thompson; and siblings Betty Jean Todd, James Arthur “Art” Thompson, Moody Michael Warmath, Wanell “Kay” Rogers, and Mary Ellen “Kitty” Daragona. 

Jim enlisted in the Army in January of 1945 and was honorably discharged at the end of World War II in 1946. In that brief time, he earned the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory medal, a Good Conduct medal, and qualified as a Marksman (M1 Rifle). 

After the war, Jim earned his bachelor’s degree through the University of Wisconsin's highly rigorous mathematics program, from where he was recruited by the National Security Agency (NSA). He went on to earn his master’s at Stanford and completed the George Washington University doctorate program. The only job he ever held outside of the Army, he rose through NSA ranks into upper management before retiring in 1976. During his 30-year illustrious career, he was one of the first cryptologists to use a computer to break Russian codes. One favorite recollection is that while an executive, he would sneak down to the programmers and work on algorithms to break code “for fun”! 

On May 19, 1962, Jim and Connie married at Union Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., the church in which they met. Her father, Reverend James Fielding Winton, officiated. Their careers took them abroad to England, where they were accompanied by their children. They later settled and retired from where they began, in Silver Spring, Maryland.

 Upon arrival in September 2000, Jim and Connie became pillars of the Charlestown Senior Living community. As an award-winning published photographer, Jim contributed more than 50,000 images of the campus and its residents, unofficially earning him the prestigious title of “Charlestown Historian”. Many of these images are prominently displayed throughout the grounds. While simultaneously coordinating “Saturday Night Movies” for fellow residents, in 2003 he single-handedly organized and cataloged over 1,500 films (many of which were donated) to establish a community lending library. 

A private burial will be held at the Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery where he will be laid to rest with Connie.

 Memorial services will be held Friday, July 17, 11:30 am at Our Lady of the Angels, 711 Maiden Choice Lane, Catonsville, MD 21228 with a lunch reception immediately following. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org), P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011.