Jeanne Marie Thompson

Jeanne Marie Thompson, 76, passed away on February 20, 2023, surrounded by her husband, son, and daughter-in-law. She was born on July 13, 1946, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Gerald (Bud) and Alice Paullin.

She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Scott Thompson; two sons: Scott Thompson (girlfriend, Rebecca), of Superior Colorado, and Mark (Courtney) Thompson, grandsons Luke and Cael, of Ankeny, Iowa; sister Mary Berard, of Des Moines, Iowa. She was preceded in death by her parents, Gerald and Alice Paullin.

Jeanne met the love of her life her senior year in high school, and they were fortunate enough to spend nearly the next 60 years together, enjoying frequent trips to Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Minnesota, to enjoy the beauty of nature and most importantly, time spent with family and friends.

Jeanne graduated from Northeast Missouri State University in 1968, with a B.S. in Education. Her love of kids led her to teach elementary school for much of the next 40 years (after staying home to raise her sons), teaching in the Ankeny and Saydel school district, primarily serving as a kindergarten teacher at Cornell Elementary. She worked tirelessly to help hundreds of kids get off to the best possible start in life.

Her great loves and passions in this life were God, her family and friends, teaching, the beauty of nature (in particular butterflies), and seeing the joy on the faces of children experiencing the wonders of Disney World.

She particularly loved time spent at the beach, sitting near a stream in the Rocky Mountains, or sitting on the dock looking out at Lake Vermilion at her family's lakeside cabin. Her love of monarch butterflies led her to hunt for caterpillars, bring them inside to give them a safe environment to grow and transform into a chrysalis and then into a butterfly, before releasing them on their way. She would frequently share this experience with her students so that they could marvel at the transformation as well. She was rewarded for her lifetime of care for butterflies one fall when thousands of monarchs lined the trees of her backyard (as if to say thank you) on their migration south for the winter.

Jeanne always sought to make the moments of life more special for all of her loved ones. She is deeply loved and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Services will be held on March 10 at 2:00pm at the First Church of Christ in Ankeny, Iowa (310 NW Ash Dr. Ankeny IA 50023).

Donations may be made to On With Life in Ankeny, Iowa (https://www.onwithlife.org/).