Joan Marie Thompson was born June 20, 1950 in Crowley, Louisiana to John Mitchell and Dorothy Lee (Charles) Leonard. She graduated from Lincoln High School in LaMarque, Texas, 1968 and attended Texas Southern University majoring in business. While in Texas, Joan worked for LaMarque ISD and NASA.
Sometime later, she set her eyes on California where she set up her permanent residency. She worked as a secretary & legal secretary at various companies, including Wells Fargo and Lillick & Charles/Nixon Peabody for many years.
Joan loved to travel. She and her husband Ellis vacationed in the Hawaiian Islands, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Washington D.C., and various cities in California. She always knew the best places to go and the best restaurants to dine. Always the life of every gathering, Joan brought joy and laughter to those around her. She was also so passionate about family and spending time with one another.
Joan was also an awesome cook and no stranger to the kitchen. She made a variety of dishes that family and friends requested...her sweet potato pies for holidays, her baked beans for barbecues, her shrimp etouffee, and many others.
Joan departed this side of life December 16, 2019 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Although stricken with this illness, she still lived life to its fullest as long as she could, still traveling to her favorite vacation spots and spending time with family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her mother and father and her grandparents, Curly and Celestine Woods, Sr. and Joseph and Lena Charles.
Loving and happy memories of her will be cherished by her husband, Ellis Thompson of Antioch, California, her brother, Michael Leonard of Humble Texas, her sister, Patricia McKinzie (Kenneth) of Austin, Texas, her brother, Roderick Leonard (Cynthia) of Parker, Colorado, her stepdaughter, Brandi Summers (Rob) of Washington D.C., her stepchildren, Regina, Kevin and David Cartwright of California, her grandchildren, and by a host of nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
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