Colby Community College is hosting a public celebration of life for Dr. Michael Thompson at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25, in the Bedker Memorial Complex. The event will also be streamed on the college’s YouTube channel.  

Michael H. Thompson passed away on Dec. 28, 2024, at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colo. He was born August 11, 1953, in Oklahoma City, Okla., to Richard Thompson and Peggy (Shipman) Thompson.

Mike attended school in Oklahoma City and was a 1971 Capitol Hill High School graduate. He received his Bachelor of Arts (1976) and Master of Arts (1986) from the University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, Okla. He then completed a Juris Doctor, with honors, from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1990.

Mike served the Oklahoma City Community as a police officer from 1978 to 1993. He was assigned to patrol, traffic, investigations, public safety, administrative services, executive staff division, special services, uniformed operations and metro enforcement. He completed numerous trainings and academies, including the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy, United States Secret Service, and London Associates.

After retiring from the Oklahoma City Police Department, he practiced as a criminal defense attorney in four offices in Oklahoma City, Cleveland County, Payne County, and Canadian County from 1991 to 2000. During this time, he practiced before municipal courts, municipal courts of record, state district courts, the Oklahoma Supreme Court, and the United States district courts for the Northern, Eastern, and Western districts of Oklahoma, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, Colo. Mike was also appointed by Oklahoma governors George Nigh and Henry Bellmon as the juvenile justice advisor. Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating appointed him to the Post Adjudication Review for Juvenile Services. He was also a political advisor.

Teaching became his next passion. He began teaching at the police academy and then legal seminars. He enjoyed the change and started teaching at City College in Oklahoma City. In 2001, Mike left big city life and moved to Colby, Kan., to begin teaching and administering the criminal justice program at Colby Community College, where he remained for the next 23 years. He brought not only his passion for learning and higher education to his students but also a passion for travel and experiences. He helped organize numerous trips for students to experience traveling and visiting new areas of the United States and other countries.

Of all the accomplishments Mike had professionally, his greatest accomplishment was his family. He is survived by his children, Travis, daughter-in-law Bethany, and their children Olivia and Caroline of Studio City, Calif., Courtney and fiancé Tanner of Bonner Springs, Kan., Rachel of Manhattan, Kan., and Carson of Colby, Kan. He is also survived by his brother Greg in Georgia and sister Kelly in Oklahoma City. His love and devotion to his family were evident in the stories he would tell, the laughter he shared, and how he was always there for them. He referred to his students as “his kids” as well. He was proud to see his students achieve their goals in education, professionally and personally.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial was established at the Colby Community College Endowment Foundation to be used for the betterment of Colby Community College students.