Tom Thompson

May 3, 1948 - January 7, 2023

Thomas Edward Thompson, 74, passed away after a brief illness while on vacation in Puerto Rico. Tom and his wife Jane were scheduled to leave on a cruise to the Caribbean and Amazon after a few days in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Tom lived life to the fullest and had scheduled a piranha fishing trip on Maica Lake in the Amazon.

Born to Alice Sikorski Thompson and Paul Thompson in 1948 in Chicago, Tom moved with his parents to Sunnyvale at a young age. He graduated from Sunnyvale High School, and went on to DeAnza Community College. Tom was a proud alumni of San Jose State University, delighting in supporting Spartan football. He even named his Tesla “Spartan”.

Tom’s exceptional work ethic, integrity, and knowledge of a wide-range of industries made his professional life a successful one. As a young man, he worked as a probation officer and juvenile hall superintendent in Santa Cruz and Yuba Counties before switching to the private sector. Tom learned the construction industry as a manager for Garrison Construction in Yuba City while obtaining his MBA at National University. He returned to the Bay Area to accept the position as Executive Director of Associated General Contractors (AGC). After ten years in that position Tom worked as a marketing director for several construction companies before returning to association management as Executive Director of the Santa Clara Real Estate Board. In 2002 he obtained his real estate license and continued as a real estate broker, most recently with Vabrato Realty, while managing his own properties. In 2019 Tom was named San Mateo County Realtor of the Year.

Tom met Jane Bradley in November of 1997, and they married on November 4, 2000. He was a devoted stepfather to Jane’s daughters, and was a loving grandfather to four, rarely missing a sporting event of his California grandchildren and keeping close bonds with his Ohio grandchildren, making up for the distance with frequent visits. As the grandchildren entered into young adulthood, Tom was a steadfast ally and mentor to them, modeling his mantra of “The harder you work, the luckier you get.”

Dedicated to civic engagement and community, Tom was a member and Past President of the Rotary Club in San Mateo. He also enjoyed the camaraderie of his membership in The Family Club in San Francisco. Tom was involved in local politics in Pacifica and San Mateo, often appearing at city council meetings to vocalize his opinion.

Tom is survived by his loving wife Jane Bradley, stepdaughters Jennifer Bernauer and Margaret Appenheimer, sons-in-law Eric Bernauer and Ray Appenheimer, grandchildren Alex Bernauer, Maggie Bernauer, Peter Appenheimer and Owen Appenheimer. He is also survived by numerous cousins including Micki Constantino (Frank) and Tom Lila (Jocelyn), who were like siblings to him, as well as countless friends. A memorial will be planned in the near future. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the San Mateo Rotary Foundation, P.O. Box 95, San Mateo, CA 94401 and the SJSU Tower Foundation, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192-0184.