Earle's Obituary

Earle Sean Thompson, 56, of Seattle, WA died Tuesday May 16, 2006 in Wapato, WA.

Earl was born March 13, 1950 in Nespelem, WA to Wilson Thompson and Isabelle Johnley. He was raised and educated in the Yakama Valley, Ellensburg, and Tacoma. He worked at the Seattle Airport, Seattle Post Office, Yakama Nation Library and other various jobs. His poetry was published for many years, and he had books published by Harpers and Roe. Earl was invited throughout the country to read his poems. He also won an award at Bumbershoot in Seattle. He loved playing chess and listening to all sorts of music. He would contact family to let them know what was going on and ask how everyone is. He will be loved and missed dearly by all of his family members.

He is survived by his sisters, Claudette (Ken) Eckiwardy and Beverly Dogsleep; his brother, David (Debbie) Dogsleep; nephews, Ray Sutton, Jr., David T. Garcia (Candis), Corey Eckiwardy, and Richie Dean Sutton; nieces, Marilyn Sutton, Angela Reed (Galen), Nina Johnson (Alden), Coral and Dorothy Neaman, Deidra Dogsleep and Shannon Yallup. He was preceded in death by his father, Wilson Thompson, his mother, Isabelle Dogsleep Jameson, grandchildren, Lacey and Ace Garcia, brothers, Harold Desjarlais, Jr., and Carl Thompson, uncles, Henry Roe, Roosevelt, Willie, and Victor Johnley.

Earle Thompson is buried in the Homly Cemetary in Mission, Oregon.

(Originally published in the Yakima Herald-Republic)

"Communication is all there is."

(From a feature on Earle in Real Change)

"I write because I like to write," said Earle Thompson. The 45-year-old Washington native grew up on the Yakima Indian Reservation, and has been a winner of the Written Arts competition at the Annual Bumbershoot Festival.

His work has been included in numerous anthologies and magazines, including 20th Century Native America Poets, Dancing on the Rim of the World, Akewon, AtlAtl, Argus, Blue Cloud Quarterly, Contact II, Greenfield Review, and Prison Writing Quarterly.

"I never learned the 9-5 work ethic, but I learned a lot from my grandfather," said Thompson. "He was a fisherman, a farmer, a gambler; he adapted. I learned you have to accept yourself and never feel bad about what you do." Thompson, recently released from prison, is presently homeless, and is learning from the experience.

"I've been writing for 20 years, but only now an realizing what's out on the streets. I never understood the survival ethic until I was on the street. It's alien to anyone unless they've been there."

"Really, all I care about is that someone is going to read my stuff and understand it. Communication is all there is."

(http://www.anitra.net/homelessness/streetwrites/earle_thompson/genesis.html)