She was born in Brunswick, GA, on November 30, 1930, to the late William Hyde Parker and Mary (“May”) Wright Parker. She was predeceased by her brother Wright Parker and his wife Jean, her brother Edward Parker, her sister Mary Parker Thompson and her husband Bob, her sister-in-law Peggy Thompson Cate and her husband George, and her son-in-law, Victor Monfort.
Katharine attended St. Joseph Catholic School in Brunswick, graduated from Glynn Academy in 1947, and graduated cum laude with a BA in English from the University of Georgia in 1951. She was a member of Tri Delta sorority at UGA. After college graduation, she worked at Parker-Kaufman Realty & Insurance Co. in Brunswick while attending Perry Business School. She married her husband Kenneth R. Thompson, Sr., in 1955, celebrating 65 years together this year. Ken was a pilot in the Army Corps of Engineers, so they lived in many locations with their military assignments, including Germany and Ethiopia, as well as stateside in Ft. Bragg, NC, Ft. Belvoir, VA, Ft. Rucker, AL, and Columbus, OH, before retiring to Brunswick in 1973.
Katharine was very active at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in multiple ministries. Through the years, she served as a member and as President of the Council of Catholic Women (CCW), a choir leader, a member of the Parish Council, as a sacristan, and as a volunteer at St. Francis Xavier School, where she was a member of the School Board and founding member of the Endowment Fund. She received the Diocese of Savannah Bishop Gartland Service Award in 2015 and the Anne Marie Morris Service Award from the CCW in May of 2016.
Survivors include her beloved husband, Ken, her five children, Mary Monfort of Jacksonville, FL, Kathy Peacock (Greg) of Spartanburg, SC, Ken Thompson, Jr. (Cindy) of Jacksonville, FL, Bill Thompson (Suzy) of Jacksonville, FL, and Steve Thompson (Maureen) of Brunswick, her sister-in-law, Patti Parker, and numerous nieces and nephews. The extended family remembers her affectionately by her nickname, “Tot”.
Nineteen grandchildren will be missing their “Danna”: Katie Monfort Thomas (Aaron) of St. Simons, Anne Marie Monfort of Jacksonville, Madeleine Monfort of San Diego, CA, Victor Monfort, and Anthony Monfort of Jacksonville; Gregory Peacock of Ft. Mill, SC, Benjamin Peacock (Brittany), Tim Peacock, and Elizabeth Peacock of Spartanburg, Tom Peacock of Jacksonville, and Mary Katharine Peacock of Athens, GA; Mary Rose Thompson Harrington (Matthew) of Baltimore, MD, and Trey Thompson of Jacksonville; Robbie Thompson and Will Thompson of Jacksonville; Stephen, Florence, Henry, and David Thompson, all of Brunswick. In addition, Katharine leaves behind three great-grandchildren: Serafina Thomas, Mary Clara Peacock, and Maximilian Harrington.
The family wishes to thank BrightStar Care for all their help providing caregivers in the past few years, especially for Helga Pinkerton, who was Katharine’s caregiver for two years. We also appreciate the expertise of Dr. Scott Clay, Dr. Mark Watkins, and Dr. Steve Barr, as well as the services of Hospice of the Golden Isles.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated by Fr. Tim McKeown at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church on Saturday, December 19, at 11:00 am. Standard Covid-19 precautions will be observed. Burial, attended by family only, will follow at Palmetto Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made in Katharine’s memory to St. Francis Xavier Church or School.
