James Crompton

James Roland Crompton (Jim), aged 66, of Wilmington, DE died on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at the Wilmington Hospital following an extended battle with lung disease.  He was born and raised in Madison, WI and was an active member of the Boy Scouts.  After graduating from James Madison Memorial High School, Jim went on to Luther College (Decorah, IA), graduating in 1979 with a BA in Physics.  While in college, he sang in the Oratorio and Chapel Choirs and worked in youth ministry outreach teams, where he first met Caroline Knutson — the love of his life.  They were married in 1980 in Owatonna, MN.

Jim’s entire professional career was spent working at The Boeing Company, beginning in 1980 in Wichita, KS and then transferring to Ridley Park, PA in 1986.  His job primarily focused on regulation compliance within the Osprey Helicopter program until his retirement in 2016.

Jim’s true passion in life involved time spent with his wife and their two daughters.  He continued to be actively involved in singing in both church and community choirs and helping back stage with local area theater groups.  He even found himself on stage for a few shows – most notably, “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Mulan”.  Jim’s additional interests included photography, trains (both full scale and model), and baseball, (notably the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies).

Jim is survived by his wife of 43 years, Caroline, daughters Nyssa of Romeoville, IL and Rebecca (Adam Adler) of Washington, DC, and brothers Jeffrey (Debra) of WI and Randy (Nancy) of MN.  Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Roland and Veryl (Cozart) Crompton.

The Crompton family would like to thank all the staff of the Wilmington Hospital ICU unit – especially the nurses.  Their compassion, kindness, humor, and willingness to learn about who Jim was as a person will always be appreciated and remembered fondly.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 501 Duncan Road, Wilmington, DE on Monday, December 11, 2023 at 11:00 am.  Light lunch to follow.

In lieu of flowers, Jim would be thrilled if you supported your local community theater with a financial gift as well as attending their performances.

God bless.