THOMPSON: Marie Thompson, 86, was born in Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, on July 15, 1939, to Walter and Genevieve Shupe. She attended school in Colonia Juarez and played basketball. Her team was chosen to play in the national tournament one season, which she talked about often. She loved her life in Mexico, especially being with her dad. After high school, she attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where she met her husband, Jimmy, and they were married and sealed in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Mesa, Arizona, Temple, on Sept. 8, 1959. In June 1960, they had their only child, Dean, who married Kim in 1982.
After moving around the state of New Mexico with Jimmy working construction, the family settled in Silver City. Marie returned to college and earned a degree in teaching from Western New Mexico University. She began teaching second grade, which she did for the next 34 years at Jose Barrios Elementary School, where met fellow teachers Linda Placencio and Clo Rael, with whom she became lifelong friends. The three created curriculum for students to become entrepreneurs and would sell the product the students decided on at the end of the process. She also composed songs for curriculum about New Mexico, which students performed each year.
She always had a piano in her room and loved playing for her students. After spending a year to take care of Jimmy, Marie went back to teaching at Harrison Schmitt Elementary School for four more years, where she taught third, fourth and fifth grade. During her teaching career, many students called her the "spider lady" because she always had spiders in her room and had students complete a course on the subject. She also had spiders at home, including one, a pink-toed Chilean tarantula, which, according to Jimmy, would wait each day to hear Marie's voice so it could climb to the top of the cage so she could pet it.
Many former students remember making "hand turkeys" and kept a commemorative book, individually made for each child, of their journey through second grade. She taught long enough that she taught children of children she had taught. She also helped many student teachers through their first years of being in the profession, and many kept in touch with her throughout the years. After her second retirement, Marie and Jimmy spent many days at their second home in Luna, N.M., where they built a small house. She loved playing cards with other women in Luna. She loved her granddaughters, Jessica and Stephanie, and especially loved all of her great-grandchildren, Alijah, Peyton, Cameron, Mackenzie Jane and Landon Joseph, and those she met later in life and loved as her own, Karee, Joslyn and Noella, who called her their beloved Mimi, a named she picked for herself. She kept a calendar of when each was participating in an activity, from sports to dance recitals to school functions, and would make every event she could, even if there were two, three or four in a day.
She was also a dog lover and, at one time, had four Pekingese at home, and in her later years was attached to a pound puppy she received after Jimmy's death, named Lizzy. She always said she didn't tell Lizzy what to do, but that Lizzy bossed her around the house each and every day. She was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and talked about her beliefs with anyone who wanted to hear what she had to say. She did everything she was able to do in the church up until her later years. She welcomed anyone and everyone into her home, and if it was dinnertime, guests were always invited to stay.
She is survived by her son, Dean (Kim) of Silver City; granddaughters, Jessica (Stephen) of Silver City and Stephanie Cherry (Scott) of Luna; eight great-grandchildren, Alijah, Peyton, Cameron, Mackenzie Jane, Landon Joseph, Karen, Joslyn and Noella; brothers, Bill (Trisha) of Albuquerque and Roland of Safford, Arizona; and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Walter and Genevieve Shupe; brothers, Walter and Arthur Shupe, and baby brother, Neil; sister, Geraldine; and her husband, Jimmy Thompson.
Services will be held at noon Wednesday, Oct. 29, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Silver City.
Cremation will take place at Terrazas Crematory. Arrangements are with Terrazas Funeral Chapels and Crematory "Trusted care for the ones you love" ~ 575-537-0777.
To send condolences, visit www.terrazasfuneralchael.com.
