Ivana Marie "Gramps" Thompson

Ivana Marie Thompson age 36 passed away on April 22, 2025, at 10:25 PM in room 415 at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska surrounded by her loving family. Ivana had been battling end-stage, lupus and stage four cervical cancer.
Ivana was born on May 15, 1988, to Patrick and Theresa Thompson in Anchorage Alaska. She was the fourth baby girl amongst the five siblings. She was raised in Wasilla, Alaska. She attended Goose Bay Elementary, Wasilla Middle School and Wasilla High School.
She is survived by her son, Kaleb William Thompson
Parents: Patrick and Theresa Thompson
Significant Other: Brandon Odell
Sister: Jean & her husband Matthew Latham, their children: Olivia Fuller, Sienna Latham, Maxton Latham, and Brendan Fuller
Sister: Belle Thompson, along with her sons Emmett Lanz and Tyler Lanz
Sister: Alice Thompson
Brother: Emerson Thompson
Yvette Thompson and family,
George A. Thompson and family,
Ann Johnson and family,
Kathy Lindsey and family
Yvonne Ivanoff and Family,
Pearlie Sipary and family,
Max Sipary,
Darryl Sipary,
Walter Sipary, and many friends: The Parry's, The Dush's, The Redington's, The Gourley's, and The Smith's.
Ivana graduated from Wasilla High School in the class of 2006. She was a blue-ribbon champion in the 100-meter dash and one of the fastest in the Valley of her time. She also played Warrior basketball under coach Jeannie Hebert. Ivana attended culinary school at Job Corps in Palmer, Alaska. She went on to manage the Anchorage Taco Bell downtown before she fell ill to Lupus. Ivana always loved listening to music with her Yorkshire terrier, "Yokie", and besties. She loved animals and often would assist with dog grooming in her friend's pet grooming business. If you ever wanted to find Ivana, we would always tell everyone that you just needed to follow the laughter and there she'll be.
Ivana's son Kaleb was everything to Ivana. Ivana loved watching Kaleb practice martial arts at Orito's Taekwondo Studio. Kaleb is currently a yellow belt there. She also loved watching Kaleb perform Eskimo dancing at his school. Ivana loved going on bike rides with her son and nephews in the summertime. She would often take them down to the flats during the summer months, teaching them life lessons while they were on their adventures. Ivana would show the boys how to stack firewood and how to garden. She often loved to cook and had a super talent for cleaning very efficiently. She would teach the boys also how to do dishes and clean the house. She would say "so that one day they could help their wives and teach their families."
Ivana loved watching football with her family and would make jokes of "bringing an onion so she could cry with the losing team". Ivana loved watching the kids have their Easter egg hunts and would often have a funny narration depicting the play-by-play of each kid running through the trails outside.
Ivana loved going dip netting and despite getting out of her coma in April she went dip netting that very July! She truly loved life and always loved being on a bank fishing with her boyfriend, Brandon, by her side.
All of the kids looked at Ivana with sparkling eyes. Her nieces would say that she would light up any room she would enter. They really noticed her talent when it came to cracking crab legs open. Every Christmas it is tradition in our family to have king crab legs for dinner. Ivana was given the nickname "The Otter" due to her speedy talent and ability to crack open every single crab leg and pull the meat out fully intact.
Ivana, despite all the pain in her final days, still managed to make every visitor smile and laugh. Ivana was beyond strong spiritually, mentally and physically. Her residual strength, humor and determination kept everyone strong. Seven years ago, we had an ICU crisis and learned she had Lupus. She fought through her Lupus with such ferocity. She conquered complete organ failure, while in a coma on life-support. She woke up right before Easter to hear praise music and was surrounded by loved ones that year.
Her commitment to getting better was relentless. Despite kidney failure, she did dialysis three days a week, four hours at a time. When the cancer was detected earlier this year, she pulled 8 eight-hour cancer treatment sessions with six different chemo medications, then 4 more two-hour treatments, in addition to her dialysis treatments. There were days she would have five doctor appointments in a row. She always looked forward to eating out with her family after her treatment days in Anchorage. She particularly loved buffets and could eat three plates of food knowing she needed to keep up her strength. When the doctors told her there wasn't anything more they could do for her she made the decision to fight and go down to MD Anderson in Texas.
Ivana and family held a silent auction and celebration of life for her just before she left to Texas. Upon arriving and going to her intake appointment it was determined that there was nothing further MD Anderson could do for Ivana. The cancer had gone into her bones. After four connecting flights, Ivana made it back home safe but ended up in the hospital upon arriving in Anchorage.
Despite her agonizing pain she kept her faith strong and would dance and sing with her sisters in the hospital bed in between her "pain attacks". Many doctors, nurses, technicians, social workers, and nurse case managers would often compliment Ivana on always having a sweet disposition no matter what she was going through she would always honor their presence with strength, peace and humor. Many of these medical personnel have expressed to her family that they were a better human for knowing Ivana and that she was truly a one-of-a-kind woman.
God called her back home one week and two days after her Texas trip to go meet our sweet Jesus and family upstairs. Her family is deeply grateful for all the prayers and well-wishes that have kept us all strong during this most difficult time in our lives. Ivana's family are very proud of her ability and resilient to fight such a fierce fight in the face of such adversity with a smile. Her life's legacy will be a perpetual gift passing down through the generations.
Ivana's wishes were to have a full Catholic mass with rosary, praise music and to be buried next to her great grandma and great grandpa, Maggie and Ivan Sipary. She will also be close to her grandpa George and grandma Alice Sipary. She will also be amongst the many aunties and uncles that are laid to rest at the Anchorage Memorial Cemetery.
Her Viewing will start at 9:00 AM on May 15 at the Holy Family Cathedral downtown. Mass will be held at 10:00 am-11:00 am. Right after we will do a procession march to the Anchorage Memorial Parks Cemetery. Before leaving the church, please take a baby blue and orange balloon to put on your cars along with any pictures to the funeral procession down to her gravesite, we will have burial starting at 11:15 AM. Her Celebration of Life will follow after at the Alaska Native Heritage Center from 1 PM to 7 PM to close her ceremony on what would've been her 37th birthday.
If you have any pictures and/or videos please send them to her sister, Jean's email: aurorahairstudio@ymail.com
Please use "IVANA" in subject line when attaching media.
We will be making a picture slideshow for her Celebration of Life. We ask that any media be sent before midnight May 12th so there is enough time to incorporate them into the reel.