Beverly Thompson's Obituary
Beverly Thompson Obituary
After a fascinating life, Beverly Thompson passed to heaven on December 17, 2022.She was the only child of Gladys and Raymond Golson and was born in the home of her maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Otis C. Oden in Atlanta, Texas, on September 15, 1929.Her fondest memory of childhood was her summers in Atlanta, Texas, going to work with her grandfather who owned the brick plant. She would sit on the cold brick on hot summer days, where she became the best little friend to all the workers there. She loved them all and they all loved her. Those times were obviously very impactful on her. On those hot summer days in a brick plant, she learned the value of every person as God’s child. Through those wonderful relationships with those workers, the foundation was laid for how she would care so deeply about every person she encountered in the rest of her life, whether they worked in the building business, the hotel business, restaurants, or any walk of life. She later studied commercial art, fine art, and fashion on scholarship at the University of Oklahoma and pledged Delta Delta Delta. It was at OU that she met, on a blind date, James Robert Thompson who had transferred from USC. It was love at first sight! That very day after that very first date, she promptly called her parents to let them know she had met the man she would marry. They equally as promptly brought her home, thinking she was just lovestruck and making a rash decision. But Jim went to their home, met her Mama and Daddy, and Jim sat on the porch visiting with her Daddy all night. They saw immediately in Jim what Beverly had seen, and from that first evening to the end of their lives, they loved him and he loved them. Beverly knew from the moment she met Jim that he would be the love of her life. And she was right. They would go on to have a wonderful, loving marriage for 59 years until he passed away on December 2, 2008. In the 14 years since he passed away, she has missed him deeply every day and hoped and prayed that she would see him again someday. And so they began life, with nothing but their love. Starting their marriage with only $35 to their names, together they built a thriving building business. He would build homes and she would decorate them beautifully, and they went through life doing all things together. She once said “anything he ever wanted to do, I was happy to do with him. If he had ever told me he was going to rob a bank, I would have driven the get-away car!”Beverly and Jim had three children, all of whom survive her. Their first son, James Robert Thompson, II, joined his dad in their building business and together they built many beautiful homes and hotels. They shared every breakfast together, they would plan together what they would create, then they spent every single day together accomplishing great and beautiful things. Their second son, John Raymond Thompson, M.D., is an obstetrician-gynecologist in Tulsa and is married to Cindy Thompson, who she absolutely loved and adored as her own. A fond memory is how before Cindy married John, Beverly would introduce Cindy to her friends with Cindy’s maiden name and tell her friends “don’t worry, we’re going to change her last name!” And she was always so happy and proud of how many babies her son John had helped into this world. Their daughter, Joni Robin Thompson, grew up painting with her mother whose talents she obviously inherited. Robin is now a well-known and accomplished artist in Oklahoma City and is married to Steve Thompson whom she loved as well. She loved all of her children so very much, and she loved so deeply her seven grandchildren (Johnny Thompson, Justin Thompson, Jenna Akuma, Kaci Buntemeyer, Eryn Thompson, Stephen Thompson and Summer Thompson) and 6 great-grandchildren, and she always wanted to know everything that was going on in each of their lives. She was an incredible mother, giving her children the wonderful gift of true unconditional love throughout their lives. She instilled in her children the gifts of her amazingly positive attitude regardless of life situation, her approach to life as if there were no limitations, and most importantly a very deep faith in God. Meanwhile, she was helping children of other families as well. Beverly was one of the founders of The Tri Delta Bouquet of Art which originally served to represent artists of Oklahoma and support the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Oklahoma Children’s Memorial Hospital when neonatal care was itself in its infancy and neonatal life-saving equipment was badly needed, and then later benefiting the C.A.R.E. child abuse center. This fund-raiser has been adopted by Tri Delta nationally and most alumnae chapters in cities all over the U.S. now raise funds for children’s hospitals. The event has evolved into the nation-wide Tri Delta’s Art With a Heart promoting the art of children who are undergoing treatment for cancer.She served and guided young people through her role as president of the Tri Delta alumna chapter, president of the Tri Delta Housing Board, president of the Panhellenic Association at OU, and was honored to be chosen Panhellenic Association Woman of the Year.Beverly loved art and had a multi-faceted art career with amazing art accomplishments.She was an extremely accomplished artist in watercolor and oil. She was featured in one-woman shows at Norman Wilks Gallery in Oklahoma City, Dan O’Shea Gallery in Tulsa, and Quadrangle Galleries of Dallas. Her paintings have served as fund-raisers for the Dale Rogers School, Ballet Oklahoma, and Children’s Memorial Hospital. Her paintings hang in the private collections of the Children’s Memorial Hospital, the Sam Noble Foundation, and the Oklahoma Governor’s Mansion. In terrible grief following her father’s tragic early death, she turned to poetry and wrote two incredibly beautiful poetry books illustrated by her art, both of which were published–A Gift of Poetry in Paint and Pen, and A Gift of Love in Paint and Pen.In the fashion world, Beverly designed very elegant upscale women’s fashion and had a ladies fine clothing firm with her daughter, Beverly Robin for Self Expressions, with a showroom at the Dallas Market, designing and manufacturing fine clothing sold nationally.She also designed and created magnificent jewelry under the name Beverly Thompson Designs, as well as beautiful creations of stained glass and even produced a line of dolls.She was Regional Director of the Fashion Group International and was the first Southwestern woman elected to the International Fashion Group board in New York, serving for four years at meetings in New York alongside leaders in the fashion industry from around the world.But by far the most important facet of her life, and the foundation of everything she did, was her very deep faith in God. This was reflected in her daily life, as she went through life caring for and about others. One of the most fond memories of time with her was simply going with her into any restaurant she frequented and watching as one-by-one all of the people who worked there would come by the table. They knew and loved her, and she knew and loved them. She knew their names, and she usually knew all about their lives and what they were facing in life. She touched lives everywhere she went, and everyone’s life she touched was better because of her.She loved and cared so deeply about everyone, and this most important characteristic of her was a direct reflection of her faith in God. She saw everyone as one of God’s children, no matter their position in life. She so often would say “you are God’s perfect child”. She loved Christmas celebrating Jesus’ birth and always made such wonderful Christmas celebrations for her friends and family.She thanked God every day for all He had given her. She said that she was so blessed with a wonderful marriage, a wonderful family, and wonderful friends. But the truth is that her husband, her family, and all of those she touched and loved were the ones most blessed to have her, and their lives will be forever transformed. The funeral service will be held at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, December 28, 2022. Her body will be entombed at Rose Hill Mausoleum in the space below her husband.Donations in Beverly’s honor would be greatly appreciated to Art With a Heart which benefits children with cancer through art camps and programs for the children. ( artwithaheartokc.com )
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