Mrs. Bertha Thompson

February 9, 1944 - August 30, 2016

Bertha Thompson peacefully went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on August 30, 2016 at the age of 72. She was born February 9, 1944 In Detroit, Michigan to David and Bessie Devlin. She was the youngest daughter of David and Bessie’s five daughters, with her brother Larry being the baby boy. Bertha attended Detroit Public Schools and graduated from Northeastern High School in January of 1962. On November 23, 1962, Bertha united in marriage to John Thompson. They moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan where they resided for over 40 years before moving to the Baltimore area to be closer to their three grandchildren. Bertha and John had been married for 53 ½ years. Bertha took great pride and joy in what she called the most important job in the world- raising her four children. The greatest gift she gave her children was modeling and instilling Godly values and introducing her children to her Lord and Savior. Bertha made sure all of her children had accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior at very young ages under the ministry of Bible Baptist Church in Kalamazoo Michigan. There was another rule and expectation in the Thompson household – set by Bertha Thompson- After High School comes college. No discussion! There was no question about whether or not you would attend college after high school. The only question was where you would attend. Bertha and John provided the opportunity for all four of their children to attend college and earn college degrees. Bertha also had the opportunity to attend the college graduation ceremonies of her two oldest grandsons, EJ and Christopher Conway. In addition to raising her children, Bertha learned to play the piano and sometimes played in Sunday School. She would spend hours practicing her new craft as she prepared for playing in Sunday School. Bertha also taught sewing classes for her daughters’ Girl Scout Troops and was part of the Parent -Teacher Association at her each of her children’s schools. Bertha graduated from Kalamazoo Valley Community College in 1984 where she received her Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) Degree. After graduation, Bertha served as a nurse at Borgess Place Nursing Home in Kalamazoo, Michigan for 10 years before moving to Bronson Nursing Home where she worked as Charge Nurse for an additional 10 years. After moving to Baltimore Maryland, Bertha spent the last 3 years of her professional nursing career working as a Nurse at the York Medical Center in York Pennsylvania. During Bertha’s final nursing assignment, she worked as a private duty nurse for two years. She helped a family manage the difficult task of watching their little boy suffer with cancer until his death. Although Bertha was ready to retire, she continued to provide night services for the family so they could sleep at night. Bertha was such a giving person and one of her many gifts was helping and caring for others. Nursing was the perfect profession for her. Bertha was a faithful member of Bible Baptist Church in Kalamazoo for 35 years prior to moving to Baltimore. While at Bible Baptist Church, Bertha served on the Usher Board, Evangelism Team, Deaconess Board, Missionary Board, Track Distribution Committee, Jail Ministry, Kalamazoo Gospel Choir, Nursery Board and the Children’s board. Bertha taught Vacation Bible School for over 20 years, an Awana teacher and a Sunday School teacher for many years. Bertha and her family attended Circle Y Ranch Bible Camp in Bangor Michigan and Cedine Bible Camp in Tennessee for many years during the summer. She truly enjoyed her time at both Bible Camps and made many lifelong friends. All who knew Bertha would unanimously agree- Bertha had the gift of Hospitality and enjoyed serving others! She made any and everyone feel comfortable and relaxed while they were in her home. All who knew Bertha would also agree – Bertha could cook and bake! You would never get up from her dinner table hungry. She always prepared enough food to feed an army! And it was GOOD! Bertha loved to host dinners and celebrations and during her time in Kalamazoo she always opened her home to missionaries from Africa making sure they had delicious meals to eat and warm bed to sleep in. The College students at local colleges, who came to Bible Baptist Church to worship, quickly learned they could get a delicious home cooked meal on any given Sunday after church before heading back to their dorms for their studies. Bertha was also very involved in the Kalamazoo Community. She served as a volunteer and team mom for all of her son’s youth sports and activities. Bertha thoroughly enjoyed attending her sons John David and Phillip’s basketball, football and baseball games at both the high school and college level. She could always be found on a football field, basketball court or baseball field. Bertha continued this tradition with her three grandchildren while in Baltimore. In September of 2002, Bertha moved to Baltimore for one reason and one reason only - to be closer to her three grandchildren. This began a new chapter in her life. Bertha and John soon made Colonial Baptist Church their new church home. They served on the Deacon and Deaconess Board, along with serving in the Deacons Family Ministry, Usher Board, Awana Club and taught Vacation Bible School. Bertha enjoyed her years at Colonial Baptist Church where she continued to entertain and host dinners at her home and continued to make lifelong friends. As Bertha began to experience some health issues, the 1 hour plus drive from Harford County to Colonial Baptist Church became more of a struggle. It was at that time she moved her membership to Community Baptist of Joppa in Harford County so she could worship closer to her home in Edgewood. The light of Bertha’s life was spending time with her grandchildren. Bertha truly loved her grandchildren and enjoyed attending her grandsons athletic events and up until very recently, attending almost every event or activity her grandchildren were involved in. She travelled up and down the east coast and to various other parts of the country to enjoy their sporting events. Bertha was intimately involved in every aspect of their lives for 14 years. What a beautiful blessing she was not only to her children but also to her grandchildren! At Bertha’s last doctor visit, the day before her transition as she talked about her youngest grandson, she said these words to her doctor – “Ryan Conway, Remember that Name”. He’s my grandson. Bertha is survived by her husband of 53 ½ years, John; her four children, Bessie, Carolyn, John David, and Phillip. She leaves behind three grandchildren, Eric Jr., Christopher, and Ryan David; a son-in-law, Eric Conway and daughter-in-law, Soldrea Thompson; 17 nieces and nephews; 5 brother-in-laws; 3 sister-in-laws and a host of extended family members and many life long friends. Bertha’s parents and her siblings all preceded her in death