Maralyn W. Thompson

MARALYN WEATHERTON THOMPSON March 24, 1928 - March 2, 2022 Maralyn Weatherton Thompson of Vancouver, WA, passed away March 2, 2022. She was born in Joplin , Missouri to Alfred and Audry "Inez" Weatherton. As a child she grew up with six other sibllings on the family farm in Arkansas. She was a child of the Great Depression, but she always said "we never knew we were poor; we had food from the farm to eat and clothes from the church to wear. In 1942 The Weatherton Family moved to Alameda, CA. Alfred and Inez worked in the shipyards building Liberty and Victory ships. Maralyn attended Alameda High School and met her lifelong friend, Polly Trimble and the love of her life, Leonard Elmore Thomson. She graduated in 1946 and moved to Portland, Oregon with the Trimble family. She worked as a secretary for a large timber company. She often mused it was a great job because "Timber was King" in Oregon. Leonard, who was a Merchant Marine Seaman, would visit Maralyn whenever his ship was docked in either Astoria or Portland. In 1950 Maralyn and Leonard returned to California and they married. They made their home initially in Alameda, and in 1957 moved to San Lorenzo. They had two children, Marc in 1951 and Lori in 1958. Maralyn worked for the veteran's hospital in Oakland as a medical transcriptionist. When that hospital closed she went to work at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland as a medical secretary for nearly 26 years. In 1994, after Maralyn and Leonard retired they made the big move to the Pacific Northwest. They bought their dream home on a golf course in Fairway Village, Vancouver, Washington. Although they were sad to leave family and good friends, they transitioned well, back with Polly and Cliff Stevens, new friends, and adventures. They traveled the world on many cruises and flights. Her favorite trips were visiting her sister and brother-in-law wherever they resided. Maralyn always played cards for fun and she made many new friends and "bunko" partners. She took up golf and had lots of laughs with Leonard playing "Hit and Giggle". She also enjoyed bowling twice a week with brothers Martin and Charlie, and friends Polly and Cliff. Maralyn's true joy in life was her family. She never missed a chance to have a gathering or family reunion. Many a Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas saw The Thompson's and Weatherton's packed into the small house in San Lorenzo, and later their larger home in Vancouver. Maralyn always considered her mother, Mamo, the best cook in the family. However, Maralyn was awesome at frying chicken, making gravy, and baking the best texas cake in the world. Maralyn was proud of everyone in her family. She never criticized and always forgave family, friends, and strangers. She truly had love in her heart for everyone. Maralyn loved reading and one of her favorite books was "The Good Earth" by Pearl S Buck. It inspired her lifelong dream to become a missionary or go on a mission trip. Sadly, she never had the opportunity to do either. For her the next best thing was caring for others. She once said that she thought her greatest worth in this life was her ability to care for others. Maralyn cared for their parents, siblings, and friends. She also cared for several of her neighbors in Fairway Village when they were sick or dying. In April 2010, Maralyn lost Leonard to a sudden illness and never got over this loss. Despite out word appearances she was very lonely. In 2020 Maralyn decided to sell her home in Fairway Village and move around the block to Touchmark Assisted Living. She wanted to join her many friends there and looked forward to meeting many more. She immediately found a good friend in Peggy Trexler. They soon became best buddies, inseparable, and cared for each other. It soon became time for Maralyn to be cared for by others and her Touchmark Team became her new friends and family and gave her quality care. She loved them all. Maralyn was blessed with a long and well lived life. Those who knew her were blessed with her warm welcome, kindness, gentile words, loving praises, and generosity. Maralyn in survived by her son Marc and his wife Jo of Roseburg; ,daughter Lori Gibson of Phoenix, AZ; grandchildren Tavi and Melissa Jinariu of Santa Clarita, CA, Maegan and Mitchell Mensinger of Livermore,CA, Adrian Rooney and Emily Gibson of Silver Springs, MD; and seven great grandchildren. She is also servived by her sister and best friend Barbara Ann Thigpen, brother-in-law David Thigpen of Palm Coast, FL; sister-in-law Lorraine Weatherton of Honolulu, HI, as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Maralyn was preceded in death by her husband, one sister, and four brothers. A Celebration of Maralyn's Life will be held Friday, April 1, 2022 at 1:00pm at Columbia Presbyterian Church, 805 SE Columbia Ridge Rd., Vancouver, WA.