Services will be held July 1 in the Greene County High School gymnasium in Jefferson for Sean Thompson, 58, of Johnston, formerly of Ogden. Interment will be at a later time in the Jefferson Municipal Cemetery.
The life journey of Sean Michael Thompson started June 20, 1968, in Iowa City. After a diagnosis in August 2025 of non-small cell lung cancer, his journey ended June 25, 2026.
Sean was a fun, busy guy and it’s hard to summarize his life in a few paragraphs.
Sean was raised in Jefferson, where he was the oldest of seven children. He was known so well by his nickname “Motor” that oftentimes people didn’t know his real name. In high school he participated in wrestling and cross country and held several jobs, including being a lifeguard and swim instructor. He became an extra child to his neighbors John and Carol Heaton and developed his love of auto racing while working on John’s stock car.
After seven years of dating, Sean and Heidi (Lehman) married on August 7, 1993. After a brief stint in Ames until they both graduated from Iowa State University, they moved to Ogden only because it was halfway between their jobs. They built a life there and stayed for 27 years, raising Trey and Jade in a place where they would have a good childhood surrounded by a wonderful community. During their time in Ogden, Sean was always involved in whatever was happening in town. He coached many baseball and soccer teams, donated his time to community events, and served several terms on the Ogden city council.
Sean was well-known for his creativity over his 33-year teaching career at East Greene Elementary and Greene County Community Schools. He felt it was important to teach students skills they could use throughout their lives. He was especially proud of his bike riding unit where he partnered with community members to provide free helmets to all 4th graders and free bikes to students who didn’t have one. Each year the elementary students celebrated the end of the unit with a community bike ride across town to school. He also supported his students in quieter ways by purchasing shoes, coats, hats, mittens, boots when he saw a need. Sean retired from teaching in May 2025 and was looking forward to his retirement years.
Sean was an entrepreneur at heart. He owned and operated Funtime Iowa for several years, followed by owning a small apartment complex, and he was most proud of his company, Pleasure Time Pools. He understood how valuable good customer service was and went out of his way to make sure all his pools were crystal clear and operational for their owners to enjoy. He treated each pool as if it was his own.
High school wrestling was an important part of Sean’s life. He coached high school wrestling in Ogden for many years, followed by a 35-year career as a wrestling official. He was honored to official seven state dual tournaments, nine individual state boys tournaments, and three girls wrestling state tournaments.
Sean and Heidi loved traveling the country with the boys, showing them all the major tourist destinations. Sean was a NASCAR fan, particularly a Jeff Gordon fan way back to his sprint car days. He cheered on the Iowa State Cyclones, Ogden Bulldogs, Simpson Storm, and Winterset Huskies.
Sean is survived by his wife Heidi of Johnston; his sons Trey (Natalie) Thompson and Jade Thompson (Margo Chipps), all of Waukee; and his grandson Beckett. He is also survived by his parents Elvin and Patti Thompson of Jefferson; his siblings Heather (Jeremy) Bolles of Ames, Cara (Rick) Bunnell of Mount Pleasant, Peter (Holly) Thompson of Ames, Jeremy (Lindsey) Thompson of Urbandale, Joshua (Erin) Thompson of Gilbert, and Sarah (Gene) Bradley of Ames; his mother-in-law Muriel Lehman of Jefferson; his brother-in-law Luke (Emily) Lehman of Fort Collins, CO; his cat Maisie; and 27 nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father-in-law Dan Lehman, his brother-in-law Andy Lehman and life mentor John “Fireball” Heaton.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the family’s foundation, The MAD (Make A Difference) Fund, which ensures all kids have the equipment they need to participate in sports. Venmo @MADfund
Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home and Cremation Care, Jefferson, Iowa
