A few days ago, I posted to another thread that I was having the worst week of my life but I did not elaborate. Well, I was sitting first in the hospital and then in Hospice with my mother. She passed away this morning, it was very peaceful and I was with her.

Mom was a fascinating woman who lived an incredible life. Rather than say it all again, below is the obituary I will be submitting to the newspaper in Bradenton, FL where she lived until a few years ago (so you all get first read)





Louise Ida Thompson was older than sliced bread and after 101 years began her deserved rest on December 9, 2021.

Born to George and Elizabeth Reinhart on March 15, 1920, in Grand Rapids, MI, she lived a full and adventure filled life. From growing up in the family owned Reinhart Bakery on “the Hill” in Grand Rapids, to pitching exhibition horseshoes with her brother, to being recruited for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, Louise celebrated every day to its fullest.

She co-owned and operated a Sinclair Service Station in Grand Rapids in the 1940s and ’50s. An avid photographer, she traveled across the country numerous times before interstates made it a monotonous drive. She boated the Great Lakes in her 50’s, hiked the trails of the Smokey Mountains in her 60’s, traveled through Honduras at 78, carried a backpack through Bavaria at 84, and visited Alaska at 90. She remained active and “full of vinegar” until the end of her life

First coming to Bradenton in 1953, she began living here full time in 1966. She was a founding member of the Good Shepherd Church of the Brethren, remaining an active member until moving to Jefferson City, TN in 2018. She relocated to Inverness, FL in 2020.

Her first husband, Fred Powers, preceded her in death in 1960, as did her second husband, James Thompson in 1992. She is survived by her two children, Pam Powers Miller of Dandridge, TN, and Ron Thompson of Inverness, FL; grandchildren, Michelle Ratcliff, and Joseph Thompson; and great-grandchildren Justin Nelson, and Tyler Nelson.

And yes, she was older than sliced bread which was first sold in 1928, but not at her family’s bakery, which only sold “real bread – with a crust”.

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

Lovely obit. A life lived well!

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My life goes smoothly and in regular intervals

Sorry for your loss. Sounds like she led a life well-lived.

I was afraid your previous post might be related to your mom.

Very heartfelt and lovely obit.
So sorry for your loss

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

Very, very sorry for your loss, Ombligo. I think Moms are the hardest to say goodbye to.

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It is what it is.

Very sorry to hear that...

My dad passed this last June, and, it's definitely "the worst day" when a parent passes.

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Paul F.
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A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
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Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

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Eureka, CA

So very sorry for your loss. What a soulful obituary you have crafted.

RIP Ms. Louise

I am actually old enough to remember the old Sinclair gas stations

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39°36'17"N 75°44'43"W

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My Old Kentucky Retirement Home by MitchMcC & The Soggy Boxer Boys
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Condolences.

Great obit.

A lovely obit honoring a life well lived. So sorry for your loss, Ombligo.

Condolences! Wow, how lucky you were to have her for so long!

Also, sorry for your loss. I thought about my mother this morning when I was putting up Christmas items. She was quite talented painting those hoops with Christmas images. Never appreciated her while she was here.

Peace,.... be with you...

So sorry for your loss. RIP

Sorry for your loss. What a great ancestor.

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Ugh...so sorry to hear this. My condolences

Wonderful remembrance you have written. A great lady! Sorry for your loss.

R.I.P.

So sorry to hear, Ombligo. My condolences. She sounds like a wonderful woman.

When you told me you lived with your folks in Mt. Morris before moving to Florida, I've often wondered if I ever passed you guys by when I lived there. Maybe at the old Hamady's store or at a local restaurant.

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Mr. Lahey: A lot of people, don’t know how to drink. They drink against the grain of the liquor. And when you drink against the grain of the liquor? You lose.

Randy: What the @#$%& are you talking about?

My condolences! Hang in there!

My condolences, and my admiration for a life well lived.

Sorry for your loss.

My condolences.

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Staunton, Virginia

So very sorry for your loss.

/Ralph

Deepest condolences. But celebrating a long life well lived as well.

The day I lost my mom was the worst day of my life as well. But I thank her for sticking around as long as she did.

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
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WOW!

I have never said that about someone's passing.

she sounded like a real pip.

i can only image what brandeton was like in 1953.

i am sorry for your loss.

may your mom's many good deeds provide some solace to her family and friends.

stay well.

rob

So very sorry.

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Formerly known as Dennis R

All my love to Ms Louise. She sounds like she was an incredible lady. My condolences to you and Pam for the loss of your one and only mother and to her grands and friends. I love her life. I try to be as adventurous as she was.

Also, she raised an incredible son.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2021 02:41PM by vision63.

Very sorry for your loss, Ombligo. And that's a lovely obit. I wish you could write mine when the time comes.

My condolences. I bet she was so very proud of you.
I concur about the bread.

Very sorry for your loss. Now let me get this straight; your mom invented sliced bread as a precocious 8 year old, but for someone else's bakery because her family's bread was too good to slice, was Gina Davis's Dottie Hinson Golden Globe Nominee role model as a young adult, then shot her first husband at their Michigan gas station in the 1950's, and her second hubby while boating on the Great Lakes, before eventually skipping town to Florida, and then hiding out in Central America, the Alps, and even Alaska when things got too hot for her on the Gulf Coast. She then tried Tennessee for a couple of years, but again left for Florida when the grandkids, and great-grandkids threatened to rat her out for spilling her overflowing vinegar on them... along with a bunch of other stuff she squeezed into a smidgen over a century, that was bookended by a couple of mask-wearing pandemics. Close enough?

R.I.P. Om's Mom
==

I'm sorry for your loss but know you'll have many years of cherished memories to keep her alive within you and your loved ones and even, now, this forum. Thank you for sharing your heartache in a life's long and fascinating journey now at its end yet not forgotten.

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g=

Sounds like she lived a full life. My condolences, I’m so sorry for your loss.

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JoeM

Oh my, so sorry to hear of your loss. What a blessing to have lived such a long and full life (and I hope you got the good genes!).

Thank you writing and sharing the obituary.

My very deepest sympathies.

I’m so sorry for your loss.

Sorry for your loss. That's a WONDERFUL obit though. Sounds like managed to wring every drop of life out of every day she lived.

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Condolences, and may you be blessed with warm thoughts about your mom for years to come.

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Sorry for your loss. Seem like an amazing woman and I'm happy she was able to live so long.

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"it was very peaceful and I was with her."

That's about the best that can be hoped for.

Condolences on your mother's passing.

May her memory be a blessing.

Congratulations on having such an amazing presence in your life for so many decades.

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A priest, a rabbit and a minister walk into a bar.
The bartender asks the rabbit "what'll ya have?"
The rabbit says "I dunno. I'm only here because of Autocorrect.


National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
As of July 16, 2022, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now available by simply dialing 988. The previous number, 1-800-273-8255, will remain active.

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

I have no words that have not already been said.
Supporting you from afar, and you will get through this.

Dave

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Welcome to Dave's BBQ!

Many have eaten here....

Few have died

Very sorry to hear about your loss. It is tough to go through but she had a good life and I am sure a lot of that was due to your care and love

Just reading this now... my condolences for your loss.

And I too don't think I could add much to what everyone else here has said... all I'll say is that there are some people who say that they've lived a full life, and then there are the ones who actually have. Your mother was definitely in the latter category!

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

My sincere condolences. She was a remarkable woman who led a wonderful life.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Sorry to hear this news. Very sad indeed. The obit is wonderful and sounds like she took life as it came and made the most of it. Wonderful!

Condolences to you and your family

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Hurts like a bastid...

I'm sorry that you lost your mom, Ombligo, and I hope that in time you will have the comfort of her memory and her love of her family to see you through your journey on Earth. She was someone special, and no one can deny that!

RIP, Ms. Louise, ma'am.

(Awesome obituary)

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=TC

Nice obituary! A greatly lived life indeed, including a well-raised son. Be well, and keep her memory safe.

Condolences from all of our hearts. I was not mentally prepared for how hard it would be to start losing parents, and between step parents and inlaws, I'm only half way through the process.

Your obit was lovely.

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

Wow, just wow... thank you, everyone. The kind words truly help.

Mom was definitely something. Her obit just hit the high spots, it didn't touch on some of the things that built her character.

She ran the family bakery because her father died in 1941 and her brother was drafted in 1942. That is also why she declined the tryout for the girl's baseball league - it would have meant closing the bakery.

Her first boyfriend was killed in the ball turret of a B-24 somewhere over occupied Europe.

She was not afraid to dance with the regulars in a Black nightclub - in the 1940's.

She liked her cars fast and bright red. (she drove until she was 97, they gave it up voluntarily)

Breakfast was coffee, no cream, no sugar and a frycake.

and she was never shy to tell you what she thought.

That was my mother.

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

Ombligo- my sincerest condolences. I realize the sound of her voice, the warmth of her touch and her presence will be sorely missed, but her spirit will live on in the many, many lives that she touched. That is what makes her timeless.

Dave

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...on the trailing edge of technology.

My condolences Ombligo. Glad you have good memories of your mom. Also, I totally agree with her bread philosophy...real bread is not sliced and has a crust.

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

Just to join the chorus of wishing you well in the difficult time. That was one fine woman! You come from good stock!

(My mother was a Thomson ... it was a point of pride to not have the "p")