VINALHAVEN — Merrill "Dean" Thompson, 74, of Vinalhaven, died July 13, 2013, at Pen Bay Medical Center. Born in Portland Feb. 27, 1939, he was the son of Merrill and Esther (St. John) Thompson and was a 1957 graduate of Vinalhaven High School. He served in the U.S. Army from Sept. 20, 1957, to September 12, 1960, and was stationed in Germany working with an engineering company specializing in electronics.

After leaving the Army, he worked as a lobsterman and later for the Maine State Ferry Service. He also served as a Vinalhaven selectman from 1992 through 2002

In 1960, he married Minnie Ann White in Rockland, raising two sons. She predeceased him December 2000. On Dec. 10, 2002 he married Nancy Register in St. Johnsbury, Vt.

His hobbies included avid reading, crossword puzzles, especially the New York Times, and arguing politics.

Surviving is his wife, Nancy Thompson of Vinalhaven; his sons, Marc Thompson and his wife, Lisa Rosen, of Vinalhaven and Harvard, Mass., and Michael Thompson and his wife, Meredith, of Merrimac, Mass.; his stepchildren, Stephanie Owens of Elkton, Md., and Christopher Register of Elkton, Md.; several grandchildren; one brother, Robert Bruce Thompson of California; two sisters, Carol Swears and Rozella Brown, both of Vinalhaven; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his stepson, Paul Register, in 2013.

If desired, memorial donations may be made to Vinalhaven Eldercare, P.O. Box 624, Vinalhaven, ME 04863. A remembrance in Dean's honor will be held at the Vinalhaven Union Church Vestry on Sunday, July 28, at 2 p.m.

Arrangements are with the Long Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Camden. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family online at Long Funeral Home.