Rev. Joseph C Thompson Sr.

The Rev. Joseph Coleman Thompson, Sr., 88, died Monday, December 01, 2014, at his home in Tallahassee. Known to friends and family as 'Coleman,' he was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1926. The youngest child of Roy and Mattie Thompson, he was preceded in death by his brother Jack Thompson and sisters Mary T. Peterson and Virginia T. Coffey. Coleman graduated from Phillips High School in Birmingham, and continued his education at Howard College (now Samford University).He served in the US Army in 1949, and in 1951, he married Elizabeth Morse of West Blocton, Alabama, with whom he celebrated many happy anniversaries, the latest of which was their 63rd wedding anniversary this past September. Their 50th Wedding Anniversary was particularly notable, as it was held at the First Baptist Church of Tallahassee, with over 500 people in attendance. After working for several years at Wood Chevrolet in Birmingham, Coleman was called to the ministry; and he attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, from 1958-1960, graduating at the top of his class.His first ministry was in Springfield, Missouri, and he subsequently served in Sylacauga, Albertville, and Birmingham, Alabama, followed by Tallahassee, Florida. He served his life as a devoted Christian, and he loved working with the people at First Baptist Church of Tallahassee, where he was greatly beloved.He was also a passionate lifelong fan of Alabama football, but was known to avidly pull for Florida State as long as they weren't playing Alabama. In 1956, Coleman and Elizabeth had a son, Joseph ('Joe') Coleman Thompson, Jr., who graduated from Vanderbilt University Medical School and who has subsequently practiced medicine in Los Angeles, California with Kaiser Permanente. Coleman is survived by his wife Elizabeth, his son Joe and Joe's partner Eduardo Carriazo, as well as several nieces and nephews, including Eva Shepherd and Jennifer Parker of Birmingham, Alabama.Funeral service will be held at First Baptist Church of Tallahassee on Thursday, December 4. Family will receive friends at 9:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary, followed by a service at 10:00 a.m. Burial will follow the service at Culley's MeadowWood Memorial Park on Timberlane Road. Memorials may be given to First Baptist Church of Tallahassee.