Marion Thompson

Our Queen, Matriarch and loving Mother, Marion H. Thompson passed peacefully on September 5, 2022 at Wilshire Estates in Silver Spring, MD. Born on July 20, 1930 in Cincinnati, OH to the late Mary Elizabeth Gill and Edward Harris. 

She was married to the late William Thompson. Her sister, Eleanor Harris Penn and brothers, Robert Harris and Edward Harris preceded her in death.  She was blessed with two children , Sherry Glover Thompson, Silver Spring, MD and Larry Thompson, Jacksonville, FL. and two wonderful grandchildren, Lauren Marion Scott, Silver Spring, MD and Brandon Thompson, Phoenix, AZ.

The light and love of her life was her granddaughter and namesake, Lauren Marion Scott. Their special bond was inseparable and airtight!  She was always there for her granddaughter and Lauren was devoted to her Nana as well. Their love bond was so close that Lauren would call her twice a day and FaceTime her in the evening, just to check in and make sure she was okay. They loved and cared so deeply for each other. 

Marion earned a Bachelor's Degree from the Union Institute in 1976 and a Master's degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1980.

“Marion Thompson was much like the dozen or so lighthouses tucked in a corner curio of her Kennedy Heights home: a guide for those adrift in life's bumpy seas, solace for the spiritless and a beacon of hope, powered by an energy within that seldom flickers or fades,” wrote Joy Kraft of The Cincinnati Enquirer about Marion Thompson, when Mrs. Thompson was nominated one of the Enquirer Women of the Year in 2003. “Whether lending an ear to a baby sitter, putting young minorities on the working track at major Cincinnati businesses, linking the over-55 crowd to computer skills or advising "second-time-around" grandparents, she's described as ‘tireless,’ ‘passionate,’ ‘persistent,’ ‘zealous’ and ‘ever-kind,’ a combination that’s been magical for improving her community.

Her first job was as a volunteer in high school at a nursing home, the Women's Home on Chapel Street in Walnut Hills. But as an adult, she first worked at General Hospital (now University) at a post-surgical patient information desk.

As testament to her reputation as a dynamo, she did an about-face after retiring in 1991 as director of volunteer services with Cincinnati Area Senior Services and director of senior employment for the Council on Aging and tackled two new projects: counseling older adults and coordinating a grandparents support group. That's in addition to time put in with the symphony, Cincinnati Art Museum, Urban League, Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, Towne Club, United Way, Community Chest and St. Agnes Church.”

Her drive to help the elderly came from being raised in a home with her grandparents in Walnut Hills with three generations living together - her mother, grandparents, two brothers and a sister. She felt they were solid folks, Christians, believing in hard work, and touched all the foundation blocks that get you through life. I could never do enough for them when they got older. She felt such a responsibility and tenderness for the elderly because of them.

One of her most satisfying project was helping seniors get employment, because she felt there were a lot of elderly, and it was back when people realized the value of having an older worker. She was always able to sell them on the fact that they (the elderly) had good work ethics and proven work skills. It was really rewarding when employers realized the elderly people would show up even when others didn't. And it helped them supplement their income. Employers thought seniors couldn't do this; however Marion and other elderly proved them wrong.

She considered herself a trailblazer. She looked at gerontology and knew, because of the growing population, that it would be a fast-growing field and that elderly people would need an advocate. It was uncharted ground, kind of retooling the elderly, like the computer program. Many of the elderly thought they were finished, and Marion said, ‘Hey, you have a lot to offer.”

She leaves to cherish her memory; her daughter, Sherry Glover Thompson; her son, Larry Thompson; her granddaughter and namesake, Lauren Marion Scott; her grandson, Brandon Thompson; niece, Mary Ann Putnam; nephew, Darryl Harris; cousins, Shirley Gill Wright, Duane Wright, Terri Ann Smith, Joseph Harris and Greta Gill Langston along with a host of others who loved her and miss her dearly.

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