Steven B. (Bernard) “Steve” Thompson, 69, of Kansas City, Missouri, formerly of West Point, Iowa, passed away on Sunday, September 13, 2026, at his home after living with ALS for three years, while never failing to sport a smile.
He was born on May 29, 1957, in Fort Madison, Iowa, the son of Clyde A. and Florence D. (Menke) Thompson. On November 14, 1981, he married Deborah J. Mueller at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Houghton, Iowa.
Survivors include his wife: Deb, of Kansas City; son: Deren (Amy) Thompson of Kansas City; grandchildren: Zachary, Paige and Charlie; mother: Florence Thompson of Donnellson, Iowa; siblings: Gary (Gale) Thompson of Houghton, Iowa; Darrell (Carrie Westcott) Thompson of Donnellson, Iowa and Lora Roth of Donnellson, Iowa; sister-in-law: Cathy Mueller of Corvallis, Oregon. Also surviving are aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father: Clyde; brother: Richard; brothers-in-law: Les Roth and Jeffrey Mueller; parents-in-law: Kenneth and Betty Mueller.
Steve was a 1975 Marquette High School graduate, leaving college in 1976 to join the family agri-business. His second career was as a licensed commercial journeyman electrician, a profession he pursued for twenty-five years. Following his retirement in 2022, Steve and Deb relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, to be near their son and his family, where Steve pursued his third and favorite career as grandfather.
A man of strong faith, Steve was a member of St. James Catholic Church in Liberty, Missouri, and formerly St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, where he was a choir member. He was a member of the Houghton Knights of Columbus and a former twelve-year Marquette School Board member.
Steve especially enjoyed time spent with his family, for whom he was always ready to lend a helping hand. He will be remembered for his strong work ethic, his ability to hold a conversation with anyone he met, his years of volunteering at Marquette Schools, his way with a barbecue grill and his appreciation for classic cars—a love passed down through a couple of generations. Steve was always up for a scenic road trip through the countryside and if it just happened to end at a winery, brewery or ice cream parlor, so be it.
During his journey, Steve participated in every ALS research study his energy allowed him to manage. The Speech Accessibility Project, jointly funded by Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft, was designed to make speech recognition tools more accessible for people with diverse voices caused by five specific diseases, including ALS. Steve remained committed to helping researchers find a cure and one of his final gifts was to the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank.
A visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 30, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Houghton, where the family will receive friends from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. A Christian wake service will be held at 6:00 p.m.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, October 1, 2026, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Houghton with Father Dan Dorau as celebrant.
Burial will be at St. John’s Cemetery in Houghton. Following the burial, a luncheon will be held at Houghton Knights of Columbus.
In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established in his memory to St. John’s Catholic Church, Holy Trinity Schools, and the Team Gleason Foundation. Team Gleason was instrumental in improving Steve’s life and the lives of those around him by loaning him a portable power chair and helping to bank his voice before it was lost, allowing us to continue to hear his words. Team Gleason helps people with the large financial and emotional burdens that come with ALS. Until there is a cure for ALS, there is Team Gleason.
Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements.