Evangeline A. Thompson

On Sunday, May 17, 2020, Evangeline Anastacios Thompson (known as Babe to friends and family), loving wife and aunt, passed away at the age of 85. Babe was born on February 2, 1935 in Lexington, MO to Anastacios (Tom) and Zaharula (Lula) Psihas Kehrees. She attended Central Missouri College in Warrensburg, MO, and met her future husband, Frank L. Thompson when she was a freshman. They married in August 30, 1953. Accompanying Frank to Kansas City, she worked at Skelly Oil in Kansas City, MO for 25 years and was eventually secretary to the president of the company. She subsequently joined her husband in his successful automobile dealership and became vice president of Overland Park Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler in 1984, serving that role until 2010.

Extremely active in civic duties, Babe was an initial organizer of Ladies Tennis in Prairie Village, KS, and an original member of Red Dresses for Women’s Heart Disease at St. Luke’s Hospital. She held office as president and vice president of her home association, Hallbrook Villas. She was a member of the Auxiliary of the Lyric Opera and Hallbrook Country Club for many years.

Babe and her husband generously contributed to the endowment of the two chairs at St. Luke’s Hospital: Brian Ramza Chair in Cardiology (originally David Steinhouse Chair for Electrophysiology) and the Michael Borkon Chair in Cardiovascular Surgery. They donated funds for the cardiovascular procedure pre-op and recovery rooms that bear their names. In 2017, they organized and hosted an auction of their antique car collection of over forty years, with the proceeds going to the Frank & Evangeline Thompson Thoracic Center at St. Luke’s Hospital. Babe and Frank also helped fund the Intra-Operative MRI at the Neurosurgical Center (Cambridge Building) at the University of Kansas Medical Center. They continue to fund ongoing research of Alzheimer’s Disease at KUMC.

Babe was an avid tennis player, ardent supporter of musical theater, and devoted aunt to nephews and nieces. She possessed a quick wit and jubilant, contagious chuckle that brought joy to so many. She was an excellent seamstress and avid crafter of wood arts and seasonal decorations. She had a passion for collecting memorabilia of autographed photos of 1940s through 1970s movie stars, and possessed a large assortment of unique dolls from their travels around the world.

Babe was preceded in death by her father, Anastacios, her mother, Zaharula, brother George Kehrees, and sister Sophie Vialle. She is survived by her sister Katena Vleisedes of Kansas City, MO, and numerous beloved nephews and nieces.

Babe was blessed by the care of Dr. Vincent Lem of St. Luke’s Hospital and Dr. Russell Swerdlow of the University of Kansas Medical Center and wonderful and devoted home keepers Cindy O’Brien, Betty Bauers, Anna Vasiliev, and caring compassionate registered nurses from the St. Luke’s Hospital and Physician Groups.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, funeral and visitation will be limited. Funeral services will be live-streamed on Thursday, May 21, at 11:00 a.m. Please check http://annunciationkc.org for details. In lieu of flowers, please direct donations to the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Research Program.