Jean Thompson passed away on September 21, 2022 at the age of 85. She was born on June 24, 1937 in Worcester, Massachusetts to George and Florence Martin. She was the youngest of three children along with older brothers George and Paul. Jean took dance lessons from an early age with a strong passion for tap, and spent many hours at the dance studio teaching and assisting younger dancers. Growing up, she spent memorable times on Cape Cod and throughout New England with relatives. She graduated from North High School in Worcester and following that, she went to work as a secretary at Clark University. It is there she met a British doctoral student named Bryan Thompson, who always seemed to be around the desk during Jean’s shifts asking for ink (which apparently he went through often!). Bryan eventually asked Jean out and in 1963, the two were married in West Boylston, Massachusetts and honeymooned in Lake George, New York. Bryan’s position as Professor of Geography and Urban Studies at Wayne State University brought he and Jean to Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan and together they raised their daughter Sheila and twin sons Bill and Ian. Jean was an active mom who relished being able to be home for her children when they walked home for lunch each day from Trombly Elementary School. She spent countless hours volunteering for their sports and other activities and simply loved just being present in their lives. As the kids got older, Jean went back to work as a medical secretary at Children’s Hospital in downtown Detroit. Jean enjoyed traveling with Bryan and together they made countless trips to England and the East Coast to visit family and friends. She was an avid gardener and made wonderful desserts from scratch along with the best Thanksgiving turkey gravy. In her later years, she continued to cherish time with those she loved, attending church and watching her grandchildren participate in their various activities. Jean and Bryan were best friends and found great joy in the simple things in life like sitting together on the back deck on Barrington Road with a cup of tea and watching the birds. They were lovingly married for 55 years until Bryan’s passing in 2018. Jean was a woman of strong faith and active at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church until she could no longer participate. She will be deeply missed.
Her children Sheila, Bill (Julie) and Ian (Lori); grandchildren Abigail, Claire, Charlie, JJ, Hayley, and Luke as well as beloved in-laws Shirley and Derek Saunders and niece and nephew Mathew and Kendra survive her
A private memorial service will take place at a future date.
Special thank you to the staff at The Rivers Grosse Pointe who cared for Jean especially during the pandemic.
Memorial contributions may be made to St Michael’s Episcopal Church 20475 Sunningdale Park, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan 48236 or Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org.
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