Chaunce Olcott Thompson, 90, of Breckenridge, died July 29.
Thompson’s ranching roots trace back to 1941 when his family got their start in the cattle business. He graduated from Breckenridge High School, and attended Texas A&M University and the University of Texas, earning a bachelor’s of science in petroleum engineering.
As a part of the 923rd Engineering Aviation Group, Thompson was dispatched to Germany and France to rebuild and expand airbases. In 1956, he completed his military duty and returned to the states as a petroleum engineer for the Atlantic Refining Co.
Soon after, he moved back to Breckenridge and entered the cattle business with his parents and brother, Sloan. His father passed away in 1958 while working cattle, and the partnership was restructured between the boys and their mother as C&S Cattle Co., which remained intact until 2011.
Thompson and his wife, Peggy Aiken, married in 1959 and raised three boys on the ranch. In 1976, he was selected to be a director of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. He later served as vice president, president and on the executive committee.
Thompson is survived by his brother, Sloan (Mary); three sons, Hub (Lisa), Jim (Diana), who is a Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association director, and Will (Denise); eight grandchildren; multiple nieces and nephews; and six great-grandchildren.
Published in the September 2022 Issue of The Cattleman Magazine