Kathy Thompson

Kathy Inez Thompson (Blakeney)

June 8, 1953 - August 14, 2025

In the early hours of August 14, 2025, Kathy Inez Thompson (72) passed away in her home in Blackfoot, ID after struggling with health concerns most of her adult life.

Born in Citrus Heights, CA to Margie James Weaver and Chester David Blakeney on June 8, 1953, Kathy was the fourth of five children. While Chester was her biological father, it was Thomas Funk Weaver who she would call dad.

Kathy and her siblings - Bobbie, Orrin, Gerry, and Judy - moved a lot as they grew up. Kathy recorded to have moved at least 12 times in childhood & at least half that many times during her high school years, most of the moves being in Mesa, AZ and Santa Fe, NM. Family was everything to Kathy and she cherished the memories she had growing up all over the place with her family.

It was her love for family that stirred a desire in her to start her own family. She saw the fulfillment of that desire after meeting a new young man at a single adult activity in her ward in Colorado. Thinking she might need a date sometime, she went out of her way to throw the frisbee to him to get his attention. Then, at another activity, she took great pains to invite him to come visit her at her house sometime. He showed up the very next night. And the night after. And continued to show up for quite some time after that. The rest, as they say, was history.

Late to their own wedding, Jack & Kathy were sealed for time and all eternity in the Mesa Arizona Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on October 14, 1972. They would go on to have 9 children - Margie, Royanne, Lucas, Tanya Sue, Deny, Sharmin, Helga, Philip, and Janet.

Kathy loved being a mom, frequently stating that her children & grandkids were her greatest joys in life. She had a way of making each of them feel like they were her favorite, but really her favorite was "whichever child I'm with at the time." And if she was with all of them, they were ALL her favorite. On occasion, she would wake a child up in the middle of the night and take them to Denny's to get some one on one time with that child. Sometimes to touch base out of concern for how things were going with them, and other times just because. She let her children ditch school every now and again for the same reason. She loved spending time with her family playing games, singing songs (especially hymns), and having tea parties or book clubs with the grandchildren (sometimes adults were invited).

Moving would continue to be a background theme in Kathy's life. While she blamed Jack's years in the military as the reason for them moving so often (Colorado, Maryland, Germany, and California), in actuality those years slowed their moving down, as each assignment was at least three years in duration, forcing them to stay in one place for that long. In their years after leaving the military, they, with children earlier on and without children in the later years, would go on to move at least an additional 30 times, adding Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Washington, and Texas to the list of states that they called home. Moving this often was a pain for the kids at times, but it helped them draw closer to each other with each new adventure. They became each other's best friends. Kathy, herself, felt greatly blessed by the number of places they lived and the wonderful people they were able to come to know that they might not have otherwise known.

While contemplating with Jack about the many moves they'd gone through, asking each other where they each considered "home" to be, Kathy quickly came to the realization that home was wherever Jack was. She said, "We make each other better. His weaknesses call for my strengths to get stronger…. And my weaknesses are blessed with the healing balm of his unconditional love. I never have to earn or even deserve his love… he gives it generously and without measure. Every fear is made better in his arms." This October would have been their 53rd wedding anniversary, what some would call a great success and what she considered her greatest adventure.

The only thing that family came second to was her relationship with her Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Her knowledge that that she is a daughter of God and Jesus Christ is her Savior was a source of true joy for her. She rejoiced in knowing that through Christ, she has a way back to her Heavenly Father. She rejoiced in the knowledge that this life isn't all there is. That because of Him, we could see and live with our loved ones again. She was grateful for the restored gospel & the Book of Mormon, which added clarity & confirmation to the testimony of her youth. She found strength in temple worship, attending as often as she could. She served as best she could wherever she was asked, with her callings to teach being her favorite ways to serve Him. She loved sharing her testimony as often as possible, especially with her family. Helping others find the Source of peace, love, & strength that she felt in her life was something she felt called to do. While recognizing her frailties as a human, she tried her best to follow Christ's example & sought comfort in His forgiving atonement when she fell short. Her greatest desire was that she would be found faithful before Him and by her posterity.

Kathy is survived by her husband, Jack Thompson, and seven of their children - Margie Cross (Larry), Lucas Thompson, Deny Storrs (Paul), Sharmin Thompson, Helga Freeman (Hans), Philip Thompson (Alexis), and Janet Schmidtlein (Charlie). She is also survived by 19 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, as well as her sisters Bobbie Burke, Gerry Ridley, and Judy West.

She was preceded in death by her daughters, Royanne Thompson, who lived only a short time here on earth, and Tanya Sue Thompson, who passed away in 2021. She was also preceded in death by her parents Margie James Weaver & Thomas Funk Weaver, and brother Orrin LeRoy Knight. She frequently spoke of looking forward to seeing these family members again, especially her daughters. It is the knowledge that she is finally getting to hold Royanne for the first time and hug Tanya Sue for us that brings the most comfort to her family.

And now it is we who look forward to the day when we will get to see her, and them, again. Until that day - we love you, Kathy/Mom/Nana! 25 forever!

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Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, August 25, 2025 at the Hawker Funeral Home, 132 S. Shilling Avenue in Blackfoot. The family will meet with friends for one hour prior to the service.