a BS in Farm Operation from ISU in 1953 which launched his career as a real estate appraiser and farm manager. After working 13 years for Doane Agricultural Service, he started his own business, Thompson Appraisal Service. He later offered appraisal services through Thompson-Johnston & Associates. The business was acquired by Hertz Farm Management in 1983, where he finished his career. During his professional tenure he taught classes, wrote articles, mentored beginning appraisers, and co-authored an appraisal textbook. Neill held the accrediting title of M.A.I., the highest designation of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers, as well as Accredited Rural Appraiser with the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. He also served in leadership positions with many professional organizations. Neill put his quiet faith into action as he served in various leadership roles at St. Andrews Lutheran Church over the years. He managed his family's farms, where his heart for conservation was evident in the decisions he made and his philosophy that we are stewards not owners of the land. He and his wife built a cabin, where family and friends gather in the Iowa woodlands that he loved. He and his daughter Laura planted thousands of trees over the years, leaving a legacy for generations to come. (Lynn and Steve have been mowing around the six that survived ever since.) Neill believed that everyone he met deserved kindness and respect, with no exceptions. That's how he lived and that is how he wants us all to live. Services will be held at 11am Friday, Nov. 10, at St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Ames. Visitation will precede the service beginning at 10am. Come celebrate a life well lived! In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to Alzheimer's Disease Research (22512 Gateway Center Drive, Clarksburg, MD 20871, www.brightfocus.org/ADR), or St. Andrews Lutheran Church (209 Colorado Ave, Ames, IA, 50014). To read the full obituary, please click here: http://www.adamssoderstrum.com/obituaries/Neill-Stephen-Thompson-?obId=2698403#/obituaryInfo