Daniel Penniman Thompson, 94, passed peacefully at the Lincoln Home on Aug. 30 with his family by his side. He was born on July 18, 1918, in the Thompson House in New Harbor, the son of Jessie and Guy Haley Thompson. Dan graduated from Bristol High School in 1936. He taught aircraft recognition in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1946. His sons remember that, when they watched WWII movies with him, he could identify every plane, the year it was built, and the company that built it.
Dan married Edith Jane Hyde on April 27, 1947. They were married for 62 years. The couple bought the Thompson House from Dan’s mother, where they provided rooms for guests and served three home-cooked meals a day. Over the period of several decades, Dan and his family and friends built 21 cottages in New Harbor, on Back Cove, and on the oceanfront overlooking Little Island. He collected rocks all over Bristol with which to build the chimneys in the cottages and the walls of their nearby home. Dan’s father was a nationally acclaimed artist, and his locally inspired oil paintings hang on the walls of each cottage. The couple operated their business successfully for 50 years. During this time they enjoyed winter jaunts to many new places and, later, vacationed annually in the Southwest.
Dan was a shrewd self-taught investor and sat on the board of directors at The First National Bank of Damariscotta. He was also a member of Bristol Lodge #74 for 69 years, and he was a longtime member of Kora Shrine.
He shared a healthy sense of humor with his beloved sister, Martha Baybutt, her three sons Scott, Mark, and Rick, and the rest of his family. They loved to exchange silly and grotesque gifts, like a two-gallon jar of pickled pigs’ lips, a Pygmy blow-gun, and a fur-lined chamber pot, items that became family legends, as did Dan’s sword-cane collection.
Dan moved to the Lincoln Home in January 2010, where he lived comfortably for the last two and a half years of his life.
Dan is remembered for his hospitality, generosity, and kindness to all. He never tired of giving people tours of his home and his cottages, places he cherished all his life. He was a gifted listener and storyteller who always made people feel comfortable and relaxed. This, of course, made him a wonderful host to his cottage guests. He had a healthy appreciation for his family, local lore, war history, and outhouse humor, as well as being a master in the art of resourcefulness.
Mr. Thompson is survived by his sons, Craig and wife Shirley of Sarasota, Fla., Guy and wife Monica of Damariscotta, and Merle and wife Karen of New Harbor; grandchildren, Katherine Thompson, Ryan Thompson, Seth Thompson, Kristi Backus, Sara Grubbs, Jeff Thompson, and Kim Blake; as well as four great-grandchildren.
Service of remembrance 2 p.m., Sun., Sept. 16 at the Thompson House, 95 South Side Rd., New Harbor.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bristol Fire and Rescue or the Bristol First Responders, P.O. Box 412, New Harbor, ME 04554.
Messages, and condolences for the family, may be expressed by visiting www.StrongHancock.com.
Arrangements are under the direction and care of the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home, 612 Main St., Damariscotta.
