Ivan D. Tompkins

Ivan Dean Tompkins, 92, of Manhattan, Kansas passed away Friday, June 5, 2020, at Wroten House in Meadowlark Hills Retirement Community. Ivan was born January 9, 1928, in South Haven, Kansas to Grace Mae (Morris) and Arden D. Tompkins. Ivan was the second oldest of four siblings. Ivan’s love of the outdoors began at a young age. He began fishing in streams, ponds, and rivers in Elk County. He would camp next to the Elk River and set trout lines and catch catfish, and once in awhile bass.  Ivan also hunted quail his entire life. On the farm in S.E. Kansas, the quail were thick. November 10 was the first day of hunting season and some years he would have his 10 quail limit by noon. For years, Ivan, Dorothy, and their kids would return to the farm for a Tompkins family Thanksgiving and to hunt quail. As a teenager, Ivan was influenced by Howard Myers, the county extension agriculture agent in Elk County. Myers encouraged Ivan to enlist in the army and use the GI bill to attend college at Oklahoma A&M. Ivan joined the Army In 1946 and was stationed at Fort Lewis in Seattle Washington and was discharged in 1948. Using the GI bill, he attended Oklahoma A&M majoring in Animal Husbandry, and became a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. In 1951 Ivan took a meat judging course and made the meat judging team. The team participated in the International Livestock Exposition in Chicago. At the Exposition, Ivan was awarded high individual in beef judging by the National Livestock & Meat Board. Ivan graduated from Oklahoma A&M in January 1952 and was hired by Wilson Packing Company as a hog buyer in Oklahoma City. While attending Oklahoma A & M, in the organic chemistry lab, Ivan met the love of his life, Dorothy Ann Groneman and they married on Aug. 23, 1953. Ivan and Dorothy were blessed with three children; Paula, Diane, and Bill. Ivan was transferred from Oklahoma City to Joplin, MO, La Belle, MO, and finally Kansas City with Wilson Packing Company. Of all the places Ivan lived in his adult life, he said he enjoyed living in Joplin the most because he was able to go fishing in the afternoons after work. While in Joplin, he began fishing Grand Lake with DC Rook who lived in Carthage and owned the trucking company that hauled hogs. Once in La Belle, Ivan started night fishing in a river north of town and ponds and rivers for catfish. Also in LaBelle, Ivan was on the city council, was the United Way Campaign Chairman, and Mayor. Ivan left Wilson Packing Company in Kansas City after a disagreement over the quality of hogs being purchased. He made a career change and became a salesman. He sold real estate for Rex Andrews, Paul Hamilton, and, finally, Mary Overfelt Realty. Ivan liked driving the Lincoln Town Car for Overfelt Realty. When the real estate market dried up, Ivan sold fishing tackle at Barneys. When Barneys announced it was closing, Ivan unsuccessfully tried to purchase the business. He instead went to work at J&J Bass Pro Shop with Jim and Jerry Schroer. Ivan began going on a yearly fishing trip in October with Jim to Sheboygan Wisconsin. They would fish from the pier where the Sheboygan River came into Lake Michigan. Son Bill would go too sometimes. They would drive Friday all night, fish Saturday and Sunday, and drive back Sunday night. Ivan retired from J&J’s in January of 1995. As a retirement gift to each other, Ivan and Dorothy went to Alaska in August where they fished and saw the sights. While living in Overland Park, Ivan bought a boat and fished in Clinton, Hillsdale, and Perry lakes around Kansas City. He would also fish Tuttle Creek sometimes. Ivan called Cass Lake in Minnesota a fisherman’s lake and enjoyed going there when visiting daughter Paula and family. Ivan also fished for salmon in the Pacific Ocean in Seattle while visiting Dorothy’s sister Judy, in El Salvador visiting granddaughter Eileen and in Lake Michigan visiting daughter Diane. Ivan was a member of the Manhattan Fishing Club. Ivan began hunting deer in 1989 at the farm in Elk County. He would carry a 5-gallon bucket filled with his lunch and use the bucket to sit on waiting for the deer. He liked to tell a story about 3 deer coming out of the creek bottom and he shot all 3. He would always have 5 deer tags but the most he ever brought back was 4. Once daughter Diane met her husband Keith, Ivan started hunting pheasant in Riley County. Ivan collected coins his entire life and in his early married life photography was a hobby. He owned a Russell camera, a Yashica with 127 roll film, and then a 35 mm camera where he shot many home movies. Ivan and Dorothy were members at Countryside Christian Church in Mission Kansas during their life in Overland Park, Ks. Ivan was an elder and served on the church board. In Manhattan, they were members of First Presbyterian Church. After retirement, Dorothy and Ivan worked estate sales in the Kansas City area and took bus tours around the US. After living 50 years in Overland Park, they moved to Meadowlark Hills in Manhattan, Ks. in 2013. Ivan and Dorothy loved Meadowlark Hills. Ivan planted in the community garden, played and called bingo with Dorothy, planned Eastside dinners and enjoyed drinking coffee with friends. Ivan took care of Dorothy for many years until her dementia required more care and she moved to nursing care. Ivan was preceded in death by his wife Dorothy, his parents and brothers Arlys and Harold. He is survived by two daughters, Paula Sue (Ed Lalor) Tompkins St. Cloud, Minnesota, Diane (Keith) Heikes of Middleton, WI; and a son, Bill Tompkins, of Wamego, KS.  Also surviving is a sister Mary Ann Dean of Ft Worth, Tx., 5 grandchildren Eileen (Matt) McElrath, Andrew (Peiying) Heikes, Amy (Aric) Hageman, Margaret Lalor and Abbey Heikes; and 5 great-grandchildren Cormac McElrath, Alan Hageman, Adelaide McElrath, Austin Hageman, and Maeve McElrath.  Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, burial will be in the Kansas Veterans Cemetery with a private family service. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Meadowlark Good Samaritan Fund.