Dr. Ira D. Thompson, Jr.

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” – Jackie Robinson

Dr. Ira D. Thompson, Jr. knew this truth in his bones — and he lived it.

To the patients whose hearts and lungs he repaired, he was a gifted surgeon whose steady hands gave them more years with the people they loved. To his students and colleagues at Meharry Medical College, he was a mentor and leader who set a standard of excellence worth chasing. To his family, he was simply “Brother” — the big brother, the devoted husband, the proud father, the doting grandfather, the loving son, the beloved uncle, the cherished cousin — a constant, quiet anchor in their lives.

Ira was born on April 9, 1937, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, the firstborn son of Ira D. Thompson, Sr., and Minnie Ola Thompson. His parents, both graduates of Rust College in Holly Springs, built a household where learning was a way of life and service to others was expected. Nineteen months after Ira arrived, his sister Gloria joined the family — and the two would remain close companions for the rest of his life, even sharing their college years together at Tennessee State University.

The family eventually settled in Cleveland, Mississippi, where Ira’s brilliance became impossible to overlook. His younger cousins, Harry and Jerry Gilliam, still carry memories of summers spent in his company — of being guided and encouraged by an older cousin who seemed to know exactly where he was going and was generous enough to help others find their footing too. It came as little surprise when Ira graduated Valedictorian of East Side High School in 1954.

At Tennessee State University, he threw himself into academic and campus life with characteristic energy. He led the Beta Kappa Chi Honor Scientific Society as president, served as vice president of the Rho Psi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and graduated with High Distinction in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. From there, he went on to earn his Doctor of Medicine degree from Meharry Medical College in 1962 — the beginning of a distinguished career in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery that would span decades.

His training took him across the country: a rotating internship at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven; service as a Captain in the United States Air Force Medical Corps at Kincheloe AFB in Michigan; residencies in pathology, general surgery, and ultimately thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at Meharry and the University of Washington. It was that final residency, in the mid-1970s, that brought Ira and his family to Seattle — and prompted his parents to board an airplane for the very first time in their lives, just to come see him.

He repaid that faith many times over.

At Meharry, Dr. Thompson rose through nearly every rank the institution offered — instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, chief of cardiothoracic surgery, chairman of the department of surgery, director of the Non-Invasive Vascular Laboratory, and president of the Hubbard Hospital Medical Staff. He authored and co-authored numerous medical publications and presented his research at conferences across the country. The honors that followed — Alpha Omega Alpha, the Alma Wells Givens Award, the Josiah Macy Scholarship, and more — reflected not just his intellect, but the respect of a profession that recognized one of its own.

Early in his career, he also stepped in to assume the medical practice of his brother-in-law, Dr. Robert H. Chess, in Laurel, Mississippi — a quiet act of loyalty that said everything about the kind of man he was. It was in Laurel that Ira met LaVera Husbands, an educator whose grace and warmth matched his own. Their meeting would prove to be the most important of his life.

The Thompsons welcomed their daughter, Kara Lynn Thompson, on March 6, 1968, and their son, Edward Steven Thompson, on May 15, 1972. Their greatest shared pride, Kara would go on to earn her J.D. from Georgetown Law, and Steve his J.D. from Yale Law — a testament to the household of learning and high expectation their parents had built.

In his later years, Ira discovered perhaps his most cherished role of all — grandfather. The arrival of Sasha Milan on February 5, 2009, and Tyler Hamilton on October 25, 2010, brought him a joy that those who knew him say was impossible to miss. He poured into them the same warmth, wisdom, and steady love that had defined him his whole life — delighting in their company, encouraging their curiosity, and making certain they knew, without question, how deeply they were loved.

Away from medicine, Ira found joy in photography and on the golf course. He had a keen eye and a gentle patience behind the lens, and his sister Gloria still keeps a box of his photographs — portraits that capture something of the same steadiness he brought to the operating room. He also loved a good round of golf in the company of good friends, and those outings brought him no small measure of happiness.

In 2001, Dr. Thompson retired from practice, and he and LaVera turned their attention to the great pleasure of living. They traveled the world with family and friends, active and engaged and full of life. Ira and LaVera were devoted members of Clark Memorial United Methodist Church, where Ira served on the Administrative Board, the Trustee Board, and as Offertory Steward. He was also a proud member of the Apollo Club of Nashville. Together, he and LaVera were enthusiastic supporters of the organizations LaVera held dear, including The Links, Incorporated, and The Girl Friends, Inc.

Dr. Thompson is survived by his devoted wife, LaVera; his son, Steve, Steve’s wife, Tara Natosha Thompson, and their children, Sasha Milan Thompson and Tyler Hamilton Thompson; his sister, Gloria; his niece, Judge Faye R. Chess; his nephew, Robert Chess, Jr., MBA, and their children; and a wide circle of beloved family members who will feel his absence every day. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Kara, and his parents.

Brilliant, disciplined, humble, and deeply loving — Dr. Ira D. Thompson, Jr. was a man who understood that a life well lived is measured not in accolades, but in the people you lift along the way. His legacy lives on in every life he touched.

Ecclesiastes 3:1–4

“There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”