Lois Thompson

Lois Costley Thompson, 97 of Decatur, passed away September 2, two weeks after leaving her home of 69 years. She had been in declining health for several years and successfully battled pneumonia in March. Her husband, Jeff Thompson, died in May, 1987. She is survived by her:
Son, Doug Thompson and spouse Kathy Cozine Thompson, grandchildren Ben Thompson, Will Thompson and Natalie Thompson Lee and husband Jed Lee, great-grandsons, Harrison and Hank Lee.
Daughter, Judy Thompson Whitehead and husband Jimmy Whitehead, granddaughter Kristen Whitehead Anderson and husband Brian Anderson, great-grandsons Davis and Hampton Anderson, grandson Wade Whitehead and great-granddaughter Anna Belle Whitehead.
Lois was born Jan. 9, 1923, on a cotton farm in Rockdale County to William Alexander Costley and Delaney Mae Byrd Costley. Her father and 2 uncles owned a grist mill, cotton gin, sawmill and general store called Costley Mill. It also had a “swimming pool” and beach which was really just a wide spot in the picturesque Big Haynes Creek. Costley Mill was a bustling community gathering spot and hosted many local events and dances and must have been an exciting place for a child to grow up. It burned in 1974 due to arson. In recent years it was purchased by Rockdale County and is now a county park.
The youngest of 11 children, she had four sisters and six brothers with an age spread of 21 years. Her brothers gave her the nickname “Sookie Jane” and called her that throughout her adult life. Her father died when she was 6 years old in 1929, but she had many brothers and sisters to support her growing up.
Lois graduated from Conyers High School 1941 and moved to Atlanta during WWII. She said she was never going to pick cotton until her fingers bled again. She and some friends rented an apartment on Ponce de Leon Ave., and based on some of the photos she saved, they had a good time. She took a job at Sears Roebuck on Ponce de Leon Ave. and then at the Western Union office next to the Fox Theatre, taking war messages on telegrams. She met many friends there that became lifelong friends.
In 1948 she married Jeff Thompson from nearby Walton County who had a similar family background growing up in the era of cotton farming. Soon after they married, they purchased a duplex for $7,000 on Highland View in Virginia Highlands. In 1949 Judy was born, and they moved to Decatur in 1951 into the house she lived in until her death. Doug was born in 1954.
On May 11, 1958 she was baptized by Rev. Dick Hall at 1st Baptist Church of Decatur where she remained a member for the remainder of her life. She still has the church program from that Sunday morning she was baptized. A Sunday regular, she made sure we attended Sunday School and Church every Sunday. We have many good memories of growing up in First Baptist attending VBS, Sunbeams, and youth group. She always sat on the back row in the sanctuary on Sunday because she didn’t want people looking at the back of her head. It also allowed us to be first in line for lunch after church at the Plantation Cafeteria up the street on Clairemont. She sat in the same spot in the pew until she was no longer able to attend.
She was a stay at home mom while Doug and Judy were in school and was very active in their school activities and PTA at Clairemont Elementary and Decatur High School. She also was very involved with the Blue Birds (Camp Fire Girls) with Judy and was a Den Mother for Cub Scouts for Doug and Glenlake Little League baseball. She took a real interest in our friends and was well liked by them.
In 1967, when Doug was old enough, she took a part-time job at the local office of a Houston, Texas based credit bureau in the Decatur Federal Building “to answer the phone.” Being a local resident allowed her to hire many of her friends and friends of ours from Decatur High School to work after school. Eventually she became the office manager until it closed in the late 1970s.
In 1983 Jeff had a massive stroke and was paralyzed on his right side and lost his speech. He spent 18 months in the VA nursing home on Clairmont Road but returned home where Lois cared for him until his death in 1987.
She took a job with a local lawyer “to answer the phone” and eventually became his office manager. Soon she took a job with a personal care home, The Tulip Garden, on Medlock Road within walking distance to her home “to answer the phone” and eventually became operations manager. See the trend? She retired from Tulip Garden, later Eden Care, when she was 75.
Christmas Eves were always a time for all the grandkids to look forward to. It was a tradition to have Christmas Eve dinner and present openings for many years until it became too much for her to handle. She was always the kind of hostess that took care of everybody else and made sure they were happy even if it meant she never stopped working.
She continued to live alone in the same house they purchased in 1951 for $13,000 until 2 weeks before her death. For the last 6 years, she was cared for by devoted in home care givers. They will forever be remembered as part of the family. Doug and Judy were never far away as both continue to live in the Decatur area.
Although she left home when she was 18, she never remained far away from her family in Rockdale County and Costley Mill which was the subject of many stories. She had many happy memories of growing up in a large family with lots of brothers, sisters and in laws. She was the last surviving member of her immediate family of 13.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in honor of Lois C. Thompson to the First Baptist Church of Decatur at www.Fbcdecatur.com/giving.