William Foss Thompson, 93, son of the late William Laban Thompson and Mildred Foss Thompson, of Boston, MA and Naples, FL died June 12, 2020 due to complications from a fractured hip sustained during a fall at home in Boston. June 12 was also his 66th wedding anniversary with the late Juliana Wilson Thompson who died on April 11, 2020 due to lung failure after contracting COVID-19. Born August 15, 1926, Bill was a 1944 graduate of Winchester High School, a 1950 graduate of Harvard College (B.A. History) and a 1952 graduate of the Harvard Business School (M.B.A.). In between his schooling, he fulfilled his military duty, first at the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, ME from 1944 to 1946 and second at U.S. Naval Intelligence located at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., from 1952 to 1954. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy. In 1954, Bill began his career at the First National Bank of Boston (later named Bank of Boston), starting out in the management training program and eventually rising through the ranks to the position of Executive Vice President in charge of the Special Industries Division, specializing in innovative financing structures for the publishing, motion picture, sports franchises and other entertainment industries. Under the tutelage of his mentor at the Bank, the late Serge Semenenko, the Bank became the leading lender in the country to the Hollywood, CA based movie industry. After Semenenko's retirement in 1967, the bank expanded their position under Bill's leadership. In 1979, Bill persuaded then Bank of Boston's Chairman, the late Bill Brown, that the bank should get into the emerging venture capital business by setting up First Venture Capital Corp, which became a subsidiary of the Bank's holding company. Bill became the head of that entity. By the early 1980's, it became clear that First Ventures was going to start losing people to competition from private equity, venture capital and investment banking sectors which could significantly outbid the Bank in compensation structures. For that reason, Bill left the Bank in 1983 and became the founding President of Boston Ventures Limited Partnership, taking with him many employees of First Ventures. Many of his clients from his Special Industry days also joined him, all of whom contributed significantly to the first and subsequent successful funds of Boston Ventures. Bill retired from Boston Ventures in 1996. Throughout his career, and most especially during his retirement, Bill was inspired by two quotes: first from the late Rev. William Sloane Coffin: "We don't have to be 'successful', only valuable, we don't have to make money, only a difference;'' and second from Winston Churchill: "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." In that spirit, Bill immersed himself in philanthropic work and highly significant charitable giving aimed principally at making a difference in trying to level the grossly unfair and unequal playing field for people of color. Bill addressed the continuing horrific legacy of America's original sin of slavery, starting with providing educational opportunities for inner city middle school and high school age students in areas where such opportunity didn't previously exist. He also provided college scholarship opportunities for that same targeted group. Bill set up and fully funded the William F. and Juliana W. Thompson Charitable Foundation as well as funding The Trinity Boston Foundation (now known as Trinity Boston Connects), affiliated with Trinity Church, Copley Square, Boston. Bill also established the William F. and Juliana W. Thompson Scholarships at Harvard University. Bill served on many charitable boards including: College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio, the Tufts New England Medical Center, Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses, and he was a founding Trustee of Sherrill House, Inc., Jamaica Plain, MA. He was a vestryman for twenty years, at Trinity Church in the City of Boston, twelve years of which were served as Senior Warden. Bill was also predeceased by his wife and his only sibling, brother Don, as well as by his grandson, John Fish. He is survived by his three children: Don Thompson of Cambridge, MA, Alexandra Thompson of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Margaret Thompson of Manchester, MA and a grandson, Timothy Fish of Manchester, MA. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, services for Bill will be scheduled at a later date. A private interment of his ashes will be in the family plot in Lincoln, MA. Gifts in Bill's memory may be made to Trinity Boston Connects, 206 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA.