David I. Thompson

April 20, 1949 ~ June 14, 2024
Resided in:
Hamden, CT
David I. Thompson, 75, died June 14, 2024 after a long period of declining health. David was a lifelong Hamden resident and the beloved oldest of three children born to Thomas and Elizabeth (Ibsen) Thompson.
David graduated from Hamden High School and the University of Connecticut, where he met many lifelong friends. He was a man of many interests and self-taught abilities, which were seen in the variety of jobs he was successful at. He was a skilled sound engineer for his friend’s band, he taught driving to CT State Police Academy officers, and he developed a successful online retail presence in the early days of e-commerce. He was a loving son, a loyal friend and a generous individual.
David was predeceased by his parents, and is survived by his sister Beth and husband Len Westra of Brunswick, ME, and his sister Jean and husband Jim Fantarella of Hamden, CT. He is also survived by his many friends, and his nieces and nephews Jay (Lauren) Westra, Kyle (Amanda Jichlinski) Thompson-Westra, Johanna Thompson-Westra, David Fantarella and Diane Fantarella, to whom he was a very proud uncle.
Arrangements will be private.
Dave, I already miss our long, long phone conversations discussing many topics, but mostly about music. You dedicated many hours striving to make Blake Street Gut Band sound amazing. You made me and Tommy and our guests on The Big Show larger than life. Doing sound for Muddy Waters at Toad’s Place and when we opened for Howlin’ Wolf at the Silver Bullet…great memories. Thanks for being our friend. Mo & Bobo
Dear Thompson family,
Dave was a dear friend of mine from freshman year at UConn in 1967 until today, and I will carry the sound of his voice, and that chuckle, with me. The stories we could tell, the music we shared, will carry on. A legendary character from our shared ’60s; I am sorry to hear this and will share the news. I expect sometime soon we will all celebrate his memory.
George Jacobi
Dear Thompson Family,
I met Dave when we became close friends during our freshman year at UConn. I was struck by his intelligence, his wit and his passion for what he believed in. We spent many hours together talking about Existentialism and Bob Dylan. Most importantly, he was a kind and caring friend who I very much enjoyed reconnecting with in later years. I am so sorry to learn of his passing and will miss him.
Joe Parisi
I became friends with David my junior year at UConn. I think we became fast friends due to our shared trait of feistiness. I have many shared memories of him with the “UConn gang” sharing music, conversation and laughter. When I was divorced, David was there and loved taking my kids for a ride in his Datsun 240Z. One of my fondest memories was going to an outdoor Dylan concert that quickly became a rain fest. Though we were both thoroughly drenched, we enjoyed the experience.
I am so sorry and sad that David has passed. I will miss his voice and his laugh, but most of all, I will miss him.
Henriette Herzfeld
Dear Thompson family,
I first met David freshman year. We met in the assistant RA’s room where David convinced me that the war in Vietnam was wrong. He changed my life. We were roommates a few years later. David was a good friend and a good man. I didn’t see him for many years, but when we saw each other, it was as if we had just seen each other a week before. I will miss him and am sorry for the loss for everyone.