On March 22 , 2017, our Lord Jesus took Milton home after a long struggle with cancer. He is survived by his beloved wife, Arlene, of 70 years; sons Craig Thompson (Gail) of Camano Island, Wash., and Jeffrey Thompson (Kristeen) of Kelso, Wash.; daughters Zanthia Timblin (Brian), Vicki Jeffres (Dale), and Tia Warrer (Charles), all of Hope, Idaho; 18 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren; and two foster children and their families, Marvin Whitehawk of Montana, and Debbie Flannery (Rockey) of Churchill, Tenn. He is also survived by four brothers, Kenneth Thompson (Gaye) of Vancouver, Wash., Terry Thompson of Sandpoint, Nelson Thompson of Seattle, Wash., and Ned Thompson (Loretta) of Hope; a sister, Sadie Rosholt of Seattle; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Milton was born to Louise and Milton Thompson Sr. on May 3, 1929, in Newcastle, Wyoming. As a young boy, he moved with his family to Ponderay, Idaho. In 1959, Milton, Arlene and their family of five children settled in Hope into a home overlooking beautiful Lake Pend Oreille. Milton was preceded in death by his parents and a granddaughter, Zanthi Darling.

Milton worked for many years in his own general contracting business, Emerald Custom Homes, and semi-retired in the mid-1980s. He served on the board of the Life Choices Preg-nancy Center and was a member of Gideons for many years. His passions were spending time with family, traveling, watching and encouraging his grandchildren in their sports and other school activities. Hobbies included fly tying, fishing, hunting, and playing golf. In his latter years, Milton was widely known for his love of Christ and his genuine interest in everyone he met.

Please join the family for a celebration of life on April 8, 2017, at 11 a.m. at the First Christian Church, 201 N Division, Sandpoint. A reception will follow in the gymnasium. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Life Choices Pregnancy Center, 502 N. Second Ave., Sandpoint, ID, or Gideons International, gideons.org.

There will be a public viewing on Monday, March 27, 2017, from 1-4 p.m. at the Coffelt Funeral Home, 109 N Division, Sandpoint. Interment will be at the Pinecrest Memorial Park.

You can visit Milton’s online memorial page at coffeltfuneral.com.

Arrangements are under the care of Coffelt Funeral Service.