Elsie Cleone Thompson August 13, 1920 – January 7, 2012
Elsie Cleone (Johnson) Thompson, daughter of William Albert Johnson and Mary Edith (Lutman) Johnson, was born in Tingley township, Ringgold county, Iowa August 13, 1920. She was 91 years, four months and 25 days of age when she passed from this life January 7, 2012 at the Clearview Home in Mount Ayr, Iowa.
As a young girl, Cleone and her family lived in the Tingley and Shannon City areas. She graduated with the class of 1937 from Tingley high school. She married Joe Thompson October 22, 1937 in Grant City, Missouri. They first lived in Mount Ayr and then farmed near Shannon City and later in the Tingley area. They went on to other occupations, some of which were produce station owners, Ringgold County Dairy owners and truck driver owner operator. They retired from a farm near Ellston, Iowa. They moved to Mount Ayr where they enjoyed their retirement. They became snowbirds and traveled, alternating between Arizona and Texas. Often they would meet up with friends and acquaintances from home. When they were in Texas, they helped to start a reunion of Ringgold county residents which continues to get together every year. Often they made lifelong friends of the new people they met during their travels. They traveled to Germany to visit a son who was stationed there with the U.S. Air Force. While there Cleone celebrated a birthday on a Swiss Alp. Needless to say, they enjoyed their traveling.
Cleone enjoyed many hobbies, crocheting, sewing and tatting. She even drew a landscape mural on a living room wall and then painted it. She excelled at quilting, hand stitching quilts of her own design. One in particular was the Holly Hobby pattern which was made from materials from her mother’s, grandmothers’ and granddaughters’ discarded dresses.
She enjoyed being with her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids and all the family from siblings to in-laws including the many people which she adopted as family. She cherished all of them.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Joe; her parents, Bill and Edith; brothers, Keith, Clare, Lawrence, Merrill, Dean and Marvin; sister, Marion Solomon, and daughter-in-law, Jeannie Thompson.
Left to cherish her memory are her four children, Don of La Feria, Texas, Jo Anne and husband Herman of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Larry and wife Leta of Cumberland, Iowa and Bill of Dacono, Colorado; special friends, Janet Dahline of Grand Rapids, Minnesota and Nick Fondurulia of La Feria, Texas; 14 grandchildren; 44 great-grandchildren; 18 great-great-grandchildren; sister, Doris Been of Belmond, Iowa; sisters-in-law Crystal Johnson of Waverly, Nebraska, Willadean Johnson of Newton, Iowa and Cleone Hosfield of Mount Ayr, Iowa and an aunt, Harriet Long of Mount Ayr, Iowa.
Memorials are suggested to the Tingley Meal Site, Tingley United Methodist Church and Alzheimer’s Research.
Arrangements were by Watson-Armstrong Funeral Home in Mount Ayr.
Services were held at the United Methodist Church in Tingley Saturday, January 14, 2012, with Pastor Robin Thomas officiating. Musicians were Cathy Brause and Pastor Robin Thomas.
Casket bearers included Mark Parrish, Mike Rinner, Joshua Rinner, Jeremy Boots, Jeremy Hebert and Joshua Boots.
Cleone was laid at rest in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Mount Ayr.
