Mary Kathryn Thompson
How do you know Mary? Please share your stories and photos, and help spread the word about this page!
Mary Kathryn Thompson, age 88, passed to Heaven January 19. She died in her sleep, in the embrace of her beloved husband, Tom. A few hours before she died, Mary Kay saw God, her mother, her old friends, and even
the old dog, Lilo. "They're here, they're all here," she marveled. "This can't be, but I see them all!" Tom, her children, and her friends were Mary Kay's life. She devoted herself to making a welcoming home filled with laughter and great food. Mary Kay's entire life was founded on the love that gushed from her heart.
She was an avid gardener, first in their northern homes, then in the Florida tropics, where she collected beautiful orchids and hibiscus. When she could no longer walk, she swam daily and set up her potted "garden" at
the edge of the pool, so she could care for her plants from the water. Mary Kay loved her Irish roots and was proud of her dual Irish-American citizenship. She was born in 1933 in Detroit, Michigan, to William and Marian Gardner.
Her childhood was spent in Birmingham, then in Milford, Michigan. Mary Kay graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Elementary Education. She fell in love with Tom the day she met him and they were
married six months later, in 1956. They raised their family in West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, and finally made Florida their home. Mary Kay is survived by her beloved husband, Fremont, known to his family and friends as Tom; by her sister, Joyce Wagner; by her children Mary Anne (Doug) Grieve, Stephen (Susan) Thompson, Stephanie (Don)
Henderson, Jeffrey (Margaret) Thompson, David (Linda) Thompson, Fremont Thompson Jr, and Susan (John) Kabana; by her grandchildren, Gordon, Kevin, Malcolm, Brian, Mallory, Rose, Noah, Isabella, Dylan, Kate,
Susie, Annie, Mike, Molly, Ben, Caitlin, Fremont, Hayley, and Holly; by eleven great-grandchildren; and was Aunt Kakie to many nieces and nephews, who loved her as a second mom. Her memorial Mass will be celebrated at St. Raphael Catholic Church in Englewood, Florida, on Monday, January 24, at 10:00am.
Neptune Society, Fort Myers, is entrusted with final care.