Obituary for Hilda Mae Thompson
Hilda Mae (Bowery) Thompson
Hilda Mae (Bowery) Thompson passed from this life on Thursday, November 30, 2023. She was the daughter of the late Fred Harold (a coal miner and farmer) and Zelma Josephine (Hall) Bowery. She was the third of five children raised on a farm in West Decatur that had no electricity and supplied with water carried from a spring up the road or collected from rain barrels.
Bookish, with a mischievous streak, she once became irritated with her younger siblings who wanted her to play with them instead of reading a book. So, she led them in a game of tag through a POISON IVY patch – SHE was not allergic… Hilda’s doings were not limited to this though, and family members can recount plenty of additional escapades throughout the years.
Her reading habits paid off. She made the highest possible score in her school on the eighth-grade examination. Her high school guidance counselor tried to convince her to go to college, but there was no money, so she studied secretarial. After high school she started working at Clearfield Hardware Store as a clerk/bookkeeper. She used her earnings to put electricity in the farmhouse! It was while she was working there that her dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty caught the eye of her future husband, Grant Thompson. They dated for less than a year and then secretly ran off to Cumberland MD on April 13, 1953, to be married. Her daughters would arrive in 1954 and 1957; she would not be able to have more children.
Hilda would go on to work at JC Penney’s, Grove City Bus Lines, Abe Cohen Auto Parts, Snyder Olds & Pontiac, and the accounting firm of Fargo & Magill.
She was an accomplished seamstress and owned 7 sewing machines at the time of her death along with two tons of fabric (well it seemed like two tons). She enjoyed gardening with Grant, doing crossword puzzles, and watching game shows on tv, especially Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. Of special note, every Christmas she baked an amazing fruitcake that was, to the amazement of fruitcake haters, delicious –!
She would do anything for family members. She adored her grandchildren and greats. She took in a niece attending Slippery Rock State university, took care of her grandsons on various occasions, and helped her daughters and others financially. She even loved her sons-in-law, spoiling them terribly when she had the chance. A highlight of her year was attending the annual Bowery family reunion and never missed one until Covid canceled them.
In 1964 she and Grant constructed a house in the village of North Liberty, near Grove City PA. Hilda resided there, even after Grant’s death in 2018 until she was no longer able to live alone. In March of 2023 she moved to California to live with her daughter Nancy and spend time with her beloved grandchildren.
She was the last of her generation, outliving her husband, her siblings, and all of her in-laws.
Hilda is survived by her daughters, Nancy (Michael) Byham in CA, Lois (Rik) Rekowski in WV; four grandchildren, Christopher (Christy) Byham, Stephanie (Mitch) Brown, Shawn (Deanna) Byham, JD (Darian) Byham. Nine great grandchildren survive her: Lainey, Raina, Taylor, Cayden, Jhett, Emma, Grant, Molly, Junior, as well as one great-great grandchild, Jaxon. She also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services for Hilda Thompson will be held at the Chester C. Chidboy Funeral Home Inc on Monday December 18, 2023 at 11 AM with Pastor Carol Hamil Hickman officiating. Interment will follow in the Oak Hill Cemetery.
Family and friends will be received at the funeral home on Sunday December 17, 2023 from 3-6 PM and on Monday from 10 AM until the time of services at 11 AM.
To plant a tree in memory of Hilda Mae Thompson, visit the Tribute Store.
Cemetery Details
Location
Oak Hill Cemetery
Thompson Street
Curwensville, PA 16833
Loading...