Obit: Stephen Mackendrick Thompson, 1939 - 2008

Tuesday, 12 August 2008, 9:47 am
Article: Alastair Thompson

"And the sun came out to dry me."

Stephen Mackendrick Thompson - 1939 - 2008

Husband, Father, Grandfather, Mathematician, Engineer, Musician, Mountaineer & Co-Founder of Scoop.co.nz - Died 27 July 2008, Aged 69 years 2 days.

The headline of this page is the last line of a poem that was a favourite of my father, Stephen Mackendrick Thompson - one of the co-founders and the leading patron of Scoop.co.nz.

Dad died suddenly and unexpectedly at 4pm two weeks ago today. Dad was a proud supporter of independent media and is a large part of the reason that Scoop.co.nz exists today.

We miss him and thank him.

Greatly.

Alastair Thompson
Scoop Co-editor & General Manager

Video Of Funeral service for Stephen Mackendrick Thompsonheld at St James Anglican Church, Woburn, Wellington, New Zealand - 12pm - 1 August 2008.

• 
  Order of Service - Video By David McLellan

Part I

1.
Introit: Requiem Aeternam - Choir *
2.
Locus Iste (Anton Bruckner) - Choir
3.
Introduction - Rev. Peter Benge
4.
Hymn: Be Thou My Vision (attributed to Dallan Forgaill)
5.
Prayers and Time of Remembrance
6.
Reading: Gospel Luke 6:47-48 - Finlay Thompson
7.
Life Tribute - Alastair Thompson, Sharon Ellis
Peter Schmitz and Miles Thompson
8.
Yesterday (The Beatles)

Part II

9.
Career Tribute - Alistair Barnett and Mark Rogers
10.
One Step Backward Taken (Robert Frost) - Tessa Thompson
11.
Mountain and Bush Tribute - Brian MacGlinchy
12.
Hymn: Who Would True Valour See (John Bunyan)
13
Tributes from the Grandchildren
Chopin Prelude Opus 28 No. 4 in E-minor - Joel Buttle
Tribute - Ella and Max Hardy

Press Play To Start Video Playing….
 

Part III

13.
Tribute - Ella and Max Hardy (continued…)
14.
Pater Noster
15.
Prayers of Intercession
16.
Hymn: Amazing Grace
17.
Commendation and Committal
18.
Blessing
19.
In Paradisum - Choir
20.
Violin - John Foden

Press Play To Start Video Playing….
 

* Combined choir from St James - led by Helen Willberg -
and St Mary of The Angels - led by Robert Oliver

One Step Backward Taken

Poem by Robert Frost

Not only sands and gravels
Were once more on their travels,
But gulping muddy gallons
Great boulders off their balance
Bumped heads together dully
And started down the gully.
Whole capes caked off in slices.
I felt my standpoint shaken
In the universal crisis.
But with one step backward taken
I saved myself from going.
A world torn loose went by me.
Then the rain stopped and the blowing,
And the sun came out to dry me.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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