Mrs. Joanne Thompson

Mrs. Susan Joanne Thompson of Albertville, Alabama, passed away Wednesday, October 10, 2018, at Marshall Medical Center South. She was 70. Joanne was born June 6, 1948, in Columbia, South Carolina. She was the daughter of Aaron and LaRuth (Stewart) Dendy. Joanne was a 1966 graduate of Gadsden High School in Gadsden, Alabama. On December 28, 1968, she married her soul mate and life partner, Jimmy D. Thompson. As a young woman, Joanne loved to sing in the church choir and Jim was a deacon. She called him “Tom,” and he called her “Jody.” Their shared life together included a mutual love of Southern cooking, scenic drives, Atlanta Braves baseball, Alabama football, gardening, country music, nickel slot machines, and, most of all, the home they built together in 1985 on a pastoral acre on the outskirts of Albertville. In 1970, they welcomed their only child, a son, Jason Craig Thompson, and in 2016, their granddaughter, Emily Rose. As a couple, Joanne and Jim enjoyed some of their happiest days traveling across the southeast to enjoy music festivals and Ricky Van Shelton concerts. Through those fun times, they met many good friends and shared many good memories. The music and fellowship enriched their lives. Joanne enjoyed many simple hobbies. She kept daily journals for four decades, filled her house with framed pieces of cross-stitch, loved to keep the lawn tidy on her riding lawnmower, and always—always—kept a good book nearby. An avid reader, Joanne read dozens of books every year and made weekly trips to the local libraries. Her favorite author was Stephen King, and she proudly owned the entire King collection. Joanne made a loving home to three stray cats over three decades—Jessie, Buster, and Boo—and she loved them all so dearly. Boo especially was her most trusted companion to the end, living 16 years and preceding her in death by just a few weeks. Joanne is survived by her son Jason and daughter-in-law Ann Thompson, and granddaughter Emily Rose, of Alexandria, Virginia; sister Nannette Burns of Gadsden, Alabama; and several other loved ones and close friends. She was preceded in death by her parents Aaron and LaRuth Dendy, and, in December 2016, by her beloved husband Jimmy. A graveside service was held Monday, October 15, 2018, at 2 p.m. at Rainbow Memorial Gardens in Attalla, Alabama.

Mrs. Joanne Thompson

June 6, 1948 - October 10, 2018