After growing up in Gainesville and attending Gainesville High School, she graduated from Brenau College in 1949. After graduation, she relocated to Macon GA, her home for the next 76 years. She met and married W.P. Thompson, Jr. in 1955 and in 1957, with the arrival of the first of four children, she shifted her focus to raising her family while being an integral support to Bill’s architectural practice. Never a shrinking violet, in 1967 she piled her four children into a camper and ventured on a trip that began in Macon and culminated on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. This was followed by a road trip the next summer from Macon to Maine. Her thirst to see the world and other cultures blossomed with her youngest child’s departure for college and she travelled extensively on six of the seven continents. Her passion for textiles and weavings led her to visit countries far and wide, including some in Southwest Asia which her family wished she had skipped. AlJean remained a vibrant force in her family and community throughout her life. She was a long time member of the Friends of The Library who counted the days until each Old Book Sale. The opportunity to see the wares while they were being sorted and priced was a pleasure she always cherished. She was a proud alumni of Brenau College, serving as Alumnae Representative to the Board of Trustees as well as chairman of the Friends for the Art Department for several years. She gave her extensive collection of textiles which she had acquired from all over the world to the Art Department.
AlJean is proceeded in death by her parents, Herschel and Maddie Bell Dorsey, her sister Doris Nalley and her husband of 63 years, Bill Thompson. She is survived by her daughter Melissa Thompson Merlino, three sons W. Mark Thompson, G. Scott Thompson and David D. Thompson, six grandchildren and one great grandchild, all of whom are so proud of the life AlJean lived and the example she provided to the many lives she touched during her time on this earth.
Services will be held at Christ Episcopal Church on June 10, 2021 at 10:00 a.m., with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The Friends of the Library in Macon, Brenau College or The Father Purcell’s Home for Exceptional Children, 2048 West Fairview Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36108.
Visit www.snowsmacon .com to express tributes.
Snow’s Memorial Chapel Cherry St. has charge of the arrangements.
