George P. Thompson Jr.

George Prentiss Thompson Jr., proprietor of George Thompson Diamond Company, passed away peacefully on June 10th, 2022 surrounded by his beloved wife and family at his home in Somis, California.

George was born in Patuxent River, Maryand on March 12th, 1952 while his father was serving in the Navy. Eventually, his family was stationed at Naval Air Station Point Mugu in Ventura County where George resided for the majority of his life. He attended Channel Islands High School but transferred to Buena High School where he earned his diploma in 1970. George graduated from Westmont College in Montecito, earning a degree in English Literature in 1974.

While he originally planned on becoming an English teacher, he found his passion in the jewelry business.  He made some of his first customers selling jewelry door-to-door and eventually founded George Thompson Diamond Company in 1977 where he took great enjoyment hearing his clients’ stories and being a part of their celebrations.  George was infinitely grateful for his loyal staff, many of whom worked with him for over 30 years.  With the help of his wife, Toi, George Thompson Diamond Company became international in 2001, when they founded a jewelry manufacturing company in Bangkok, Thailand. There they curated, designed, and manufactured most of the jewelry seen in the George Thompson Diamond Company over the past two decades. Upon their retirement in September of 2021, George and Toi were proud to see the second generation take over the store in the hopes that it will be around for generations more of celebrations.

George was passionate about giving back to his community, and made it a priority through his life. Through the 1980s George rose through the ranks of leadership at the Ventura Junior Chamber of Commerce and was instrumental in numerous initiatives raising money for the local community. As a longtime member and multi-time President of the Oxnard ‘Noontimers’ Lions Club, George worked with his fellow members to raise money for a long list of charities, such as Food Share, Oxnard Rescue Mission, Oxnard PAL (Police Activities League), The Braille Institute, Guide Dogs of America, Oxnard School District, AeroMedicos and City of Hope.

Out of all his community engagement efforts, George was most proud of the Diamond in the Rough Award Scholarship.  For over 30 years, George donated funds to thousands of local high school students with the goal of encouraging students to attend and graduate from higher education. George’s legacy will continue through Diamond in the Rough Award Scholarship Program as part of his commitment to education in the community.

Away from the office, it was rare to see George without his Los Angeles Dodgers hat; some of his fondest memories were taking his family to Chavez Ravine to watch his beloved Dodgers. It was his dream to see the Dodgers win a second World Series in his lifetime and thankfully he was able to watch them win in 2020.

He is preceded in death by his father, George Thompson Sr. (1979) and Bernis “Bonnie” Mihalic (2020) of Bonnie’s Costumes and Party Supplies.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 20 years Suntharaporn “Toi” Thompson; his children Mark (Dayna) Thompson, Dale (Christina) Thompson, Kathleen (Charlie) Kimball, David Thompson, Panpanatch ‘Bond’ Prasansin, and Matchima ‘Mook’ Prasansin; his grandchildren Connor, Leighanne, Marco, Lukas, Nikolas, Madison, Trinity, Hannah, and Gordon  his step-father Paul Mihalic Sr.; and his siblings Louis (Patty) Thompson, Ann Swanson, Sara (Jim) Hipple, Betsy (Susan) Byers, Carol Thompson, and Paul (Candace) Mihalic Jr.

Friends and family are invited to gather for a graveside service June 21, 2022, 11 a.m., at Ivy Lawn Memorial, in the Jewish Section at the back of the park. There will be a reception immediately following at his home in Somis. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked donations be made to the Oxnard Noontimers Foundation, a fund can be found at

https://www.spotfund.com/story/22155610-d439-4e7a-b908-0518054db411?SFID=InMemoryOfGeorgeThompson

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