Lavoy Thompson. Lavoy died on May 7, 1988.
His obituary: Kirby Lavoy Thompson, Born: 16 Nov 1954, Winter Haven, Polk County, Florida, Died: 7 May 1988, San Francisco City & County, California, Age: 33, Cause: AIDS. Early Saturday evening, May 7, 1988, Lavoy [he went by his middle name Lavoy] passed away quietly after a difficult struggle with AIDS. He was 33. Born in Winter Haven, Florida, on November 16, 1954, this Church of God preacher's son moved with his family about the South while growing up. He graduated, in June 1972, from Sprayberry Public High School in Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia (near Atlanta). While in high school, Lavoy played clarinet in the school band and belonged to the Honor Society. While living in Georgia, Lavoy became (and ever since remained) a passionate and devoted fan of the Atlanta Falcons.
Immediately after high school, Lavoy worked for a year, during which he attended Kennesaw Junior College part-time. In 1973, he transferred to the Church of God's Lee College in Cleveland, Tennessee, where he studied religion, music and piano (with an eye towards becoming a preacher like his father). Lavoy sang with the Lee College Singers and performed with them in Europe and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He also played piano, sang and toured with the gospel group Children of Light. In May 1977, Lavoy dropped out of Lee College and joined the Marines. After boot camp in San Diego, California, Lavoy was schooled as a computer programmer in Quantico, Virginia. He graduated first in his class, was assigned to Marine Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and was quickly and meritoriously promoted until he finally attained the rank of Sergeant/E-5. Lavoy participated in the 1981 Presidential Inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the official driver for Glenn Campbell and Tanya Tucker. He generously volunteered his time with the Marine's annual Toys-for-Tots program. While on active duty in Washington, D.C., Lavoy attended Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, Virginia, and studied computer science. Lavoy was also briefly married during his years in the Marines. He then developed a relationship and moved in with another Marine, Rodney Baker. On May 24, 1981, Lavoy received an Honorable Discharge from the Marines, but not before he got caught up in one of their anti-gay witch hunts. They couldn't prove he was gay, but instead demoted him to Corporal for associating with deviants to the disgrace of the military before he was discharged. Lavoy then moved to San Francisco to work as a computer programmer/analyst for Wells Fargo Bank. Although their relationship was over, he remained friends with Rodney. I met Lavoy on my birthday on July 25, 1983 when he came into the store at my summer job at Headlines between my first and second years of law school. He introduced himself and took me out to dinner that night. We dated until the Spring of 1984 when he and I moved in together in an apartment on 17th Street – a half block east from the corner of Castro, Market & 17th Streets. In 1985, Lavoy went to work for Ampex Corporation, but returned to Wells Fargo after only one year. Among his many work projects at Wells Fargo, he worked tirelessly on the conversions of the different computer systems at the newly merged Wells Fargo and Crocker Banks. For this project, he received recognition from the Bank for his excellent work. Shortly after this project was successfully completed, Lavoy fell ill and was hospitalized and diagnosed with pneumocystis pneumonia (and therefore AIDS) on December 23, 1986. Although Lavoy returned to work for a short time in 1987, he had to finally go on permanent disability in August of that year. While in San Francisco, Lavoy volunteered his time and money generously to the Stop AIDS Project, sang with the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, and was a very proud player for the Trojans football team and the softball team sponsored by The Bear. Lavoy was also the official Easter Bunny for the annual Lily Street Easter Party; he was very handsome and sexy with the fuzzy bunny ears and tail, and with the sleeveless T-shirt advertising Bunny Rides for 25 cents. I continued to live with Lavoy throughout his illness and attempted, too many times unsuccessfully, to help him manage his physical and emotional pain – and fear. I wasn't very good at it, and often stumbled as a caregiver and lover, yet he stayed with me and remained a tender, loving and supportive companion to the end. Lavoy cared deeply for many people and taught them, by example, what true love is all about. He held no ill will towards anyone, gave of himself and his possessions freely, forgave readily, and never hurt anyone deliberately. He is probably the best human being I have ever known. In return for his love and devotion to others, Lavoy was blessed with many loving and devoted friends. Although estranged from them for many years, Lavoy's family members did finally rally around him with love and support during his last few days in the hospital. When he quietly took his last breath in the presence of only his mother and father, I believe that this was a gift from Lavoy to them, telling them that he loved them dearly and forgave them completely.
Goodbye Lavoy. We'll have a lot to talk about when we see each other again.
Stuart McDonald, May 11, 1988
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