THOMPSON

Posted by Cathy Gowdy on Monday, September 15, 2008 at 03:51:27 :

Independent Journal
Monday, November 13, 1978

EARL THOMPSON

At his request, the ashes of novelist Earl Thompson will be scattered at sea.

Thompson, author of best-selling novels “Caldo Largo,” “Tattoo” and “Garden of Sand,” suffered a heart attack and died on the sidewalk near his Sausalito apartment Thursday. He was 47.

Thompson was born in Kansas and drew on his experiences there and in the Army and Navy for his three published books. A fourth, “Art of Madness,” was completed just before his death, according to his business manager and friend Gil Waggoner.

He attended the University of Missouri and Columbia University.

Thompson worked in many different jobs and lived in many places before his first book was published in 1970.

He moved to Bolinas in 1976 where he purchased a home previously owned by the Jefferson Airplane. He sold the house after the property was damaged by storms and he was unable to get county supervisors to build a seawall.

Thompson had just moved to Sausalito from San Francisco when he died. He had been in poor health, according to Waggoner.

He is survived by two sons, John W. Thompson of Mill Valley and Jedediah E. Thompson of Idaho and a daughter, Jamie C. Thompson of Hawaii.