On Nov. 15, 2023, our sweet mama, Janet L. Thompson, left us to fly free with the angels. She was a mom, a wife, a grandma, a great-grandma and a friend to many.
She was a wonderful balance of old-world values, with her family and home first, and a mix of free-spirited independence fueled by her hippie heart. She loved dragonflies because they symbolized her continual drive for transformation, growth and change.
She lived in many places, and once she found a new place, she started looking for the next place to explore and discover. She was strong and fierce in her beliefs and could be ornery as all get out. She was spicy and opinionated and wanted the whole world to know that she had a story, or stories, to tell, and she so desperately wanted and deserved enough time to tell them.
She loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and her little dog, Mimi, fiercely. She was a force to be reckoned with if someone crossed or hurt someone that she loved. She had a generous heart and loved to help others. She would stop and buy food for those needing help; she sponsored multiple missions and shelters and always believed in the goodness of someone’s heart, regardless of their current circumstances.
She was educated and determined to change the world, one story, one opinion, one diet soda or one of her special cups of coffee at a time. She was the smartest woman we knew, (you could never beat her at Jeopardy), and she instilled confidence in her girls that we could achieve anything if we were determined and willing to work for it.
Our mama fought a valiant battle but was tired and ready to leave our arms and rest in eternal peace in God’s arms.
She is preceded in death by her first husband, Earl Thompson; her second husband, Archie Pettit; and her brother, Steven Bush. She is survived, and missed so very much, by her daughters, Dawn Renee Paradee, Jodi Rawson and Jami Alexander; her grandchildren, Rachael Clemens, Eric Paradee, Kandace Paradee, Kristina Paradee, Jodi Estrada and Austin Alexander; her five great-grandchildren; her sisters, Earlene Baskerville and Cher Daniels; and her best friends of 40 years, Steve and Joyce Woolf.
She may be gone from this world, but she will never be forgotten. She will never be just a memory in a photo album or a name on a birth record; she will live and shine always in the hearts of those who lived life with her. She will stay relevant in the life that we all continue to live, as hard as it will be to live it without her.
In honor of our beautiful mama, please consider donating to Susan G. Komen because together we can and will find a cure.
