Joan (Jo) Thompson, 84, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Friday, Oct. 17, 2014, at home with her daughter and son-in-law, Peggy and Cliff Smith. Jo was diagnosed with stage IV cancer in early August of this year. She chose to forgo treatment and to instead live her last months in the comfort of home with family.
She is survived by her sister Margery (Chris) Edwards in Tucson, Ariz.; three daughters: Dixie (Sue) DeShields in Las Vegas, Nev., Peggy Jo and husband Cliff Smith in Winnemucc,a Nev., and Tami and husband Ron Norton in Rathdrum, Idaho; one son: Jack (Jackson Cash) Quist in Salt Lake City, Utah; 11 grandchildren: Jaime and Jennifer Woodman, Misty Walker, Amber Frank, Tracey (TJ) Weingart, Jayci Ragan, Tami DeShields, Kinsie and Hailey Jones, Misty Sanone, and Aubrianna Quist; eight great-grandchildren: Madysen and Rylie Frank, Briken Jenkins, Mya Williams, Ellie and Ava Ragan, Tyler Portin, and Trenton Peters; 25 nieces and nephews; and one cousin, Glen (and wife Marion) Starr.
Jo was born in Cedar City, Utah, to Nola and Myles Adams in 1930. She grew up in a very modest home in a difficult era, yet wanted for nothing and had "the happiest childhood in much simpler times", as she put it. As an adult, she lived the majority of her life in southern California where she started her family, in Rathdrum, Idaho, Cedar City, Utah, Henderson, Nev., and Winnemucca Nev., where she lived for the past 14 years.
Jo and her son were separated soon after his birth, but she and her family were reunited with him and his two daughters after his 42-year search that included his writing, singing, and recording the most beautiful song reaching out to find her, "Dear Mom", which she loved. She appeared on local television with him as they shared their story.
She was a long-time member of the A.R.E. and a loyal follower of Edgar Cayce.
Jo worked for numerous companies throughout her many working years, but the most fulfilling were during the 60s at McDonald Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach, Calif., and in the late 70s and 80s at the Utah Center for Alcoholic Rehabilitation in Cedar City, Utah, as assistant director.
Jo was a beautiful and young-spirited woman, who enjoyed life to its fullest.
Her fondest memories were of her family, both while growing up and then raising her own. Her life was blessed with many large and happy family gatherings throughout the years that were filled with guitars, singing, laughing and playing.
Her favorite times were the holidays, and she made the most delicious Thanksgiving dinners with the best stuffing and homemade rolls you ever tasted. She loved her family life in her Westminster, Calif., home and family picnics at Irvine Park, Calif. Her favorite color was white, she loved lobster, and she always said that coffee tasted better in her small, white, aged Anchor Hawking cup. She spent a week on the island of Moorea in Tahiti and thought it was the most beautiful place on earth.
We will never forget the way she played the boogie, danced the jitterbug, imitated Donald Duck, and always walked with that youthful spring in her step, which was always in-step with anyone she walked with.
As a child, Jo always had a pea-shooter in the back pocket of her peddle pushers. She loved to sing, took first place in spelling bees, performed a perfect cartwheel and chest roll, and could both hold her breath or walk on her hands for the longest time.
In her younger years, Jo loved to play the guitar, play pool, and did she love to dance! In her later years, she loved to play bingo and the old quarter machines, but could still play a mean game of pool or darts and was unbeatable at shuffleboard. Jo would never turn down an opportunity to go fishing. Not because she loved fishing, but because she loved family, and they loved fishing. She once even jumped in the lake after that "fish that got away", wrestled it, then finally held it proudly up in the air. Jo wrote beautiful poems and a touching auto-biography of her childhood years.
She had the cutest unexpected sense of humor, which she kept throughout her last days, when she finally joined the many loved ones that she had lost throughout the years and missed so dearly ... her oldest daughter Miki (Kim) Woodman; her parents Nola and Myles Adams; her three sisters Donna Wilson, Dixie Kennedy, and Shanti Adams; her brother Warren Adams; her best friends Glynn Thompson and Howard Fair; her nephews Jonathon (Chipper) and Ronny Kennedy ... and many, many other family members and close friends.
Jo will always be sitting at the table with us, sipping her Baileys and coffee, as we play a game of Yahtzee, Canasta, or Sorry ... and we will always remember her words, "Bless your heart" and "I love you too, honey". We are forever blessed by Jo's kind heart, her patient ear, her spiritual guidance, and her many words of wisdom. The loving memories she leaves us with are so precious and cherished, and Jo ... your beautiful smile, your gentle touch, and the sound of your voice are already missed, more than you could have ever possibly imagined ... we love you dearly and you will forever be in our hearts ... someday we will all be together again.
A private memorial will be held by the family, and a sincere thank you goes out to Sherry Smith and Cindy Michael at Hospice for the difference they made in the comfort of Jo's last days, and for the help and guidance they extended to her family.[[In-content Ad]]
