Oma "Lou" Fleming

Obituary of Oma "Lou" Fleming

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Oma Lou (Thompson) Fleming, 93, long-time resident of Wallingford, CT, beloved wife of the late Robert (Bob) Copeland Fleming, died peacefully in Madison, Mississippi, on Monday, January 12, 2026, with her daughter, Becky, at her bedside. Lou was born on March 14, 1932, in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania, daughter of Scott Thompson and Dorothy (Butler) Thompson. She was the second of two children (older brother, Chuck) in a loving family that moved to Pittsburgh, PA, for most of Lou's childhood.

Lou graduated from Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA, in 1954, where she earned academic distinction and was a member of the synchronized swimming team. While working as a waitress in Cape May, New Jersey, in the summer after graduation, Lou and Bob were introduced by Bob's sister, Betty, a co-worker at the restaurant. They married in 1955 and started their life together in Pittsburgh, PA, with a commitment to family that marked their life together for the next 68 years.

Following the birth of Lou and Bob's first child, they moved in 1957 to Wallingford, Connecticut, where they raised four children: Bob Jr., Andy, Scott, and Becky. Lou was a devoted mother, deeply involved in her children's lives-never missing a game, recital, or play. She was also an active member of the neighborhood and community, and an avid ping-pong and tennis player who could hold her own in family competition. She was known for declaring "This family is too competitive" while playing just as fiercely as anyone else.

Lou supported Bob's successful business career and contributed financially to the family as a real estate agent in the Wallingford area. She had a gift for making people feel welcome, as their home on High Street became a favorite gathering place for her children's friends throughout their school years. Lou and Bob created a family life inside the home of warmth and togetherness-regular family dinners, favorite TV shows watched together, spirited ping-pong matches in the basement, and raucous games of group solitaire, gin rummy-or Paddle Pool!-around the family room table.

Lou took extra care in preparing meals for the holidays and her children's birthdays, making each occasion (and person) feel special. Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings brought grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins together under one roof and created memories that her now 60-something-year-old children still treasure. Everybody had a favorite from Lou's lovingly baked Christmas cookies-from Elsie's little balls (Russian tea cakes) to butterscotch thins to chocolate mint squares to pecan pralines to sugar cookies in Christmas shapes upon which the whole gang would apply generous amounts of frosting, sprinkles, and cinnamon red hots. Outside of the holidays, all of Lou's children and grandchildren received special "care packages" of snickerdoodles at just the moment they needed them.

After their children had all graduated from college and moved into careers, Lou and Bob retired to Gloversville, New York, in the early '90s, where they fulfilled Lou's dream of living on a small lake (Peck Lake) in the Adirondack Park region. Later, they moved to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to be closer to daughter Becky and her two children. Until they each passed, Lou and Bob shared a home with Becky and her daughters in Madison, Mississippi, where they became known as Grandma Lou and Grandpa Bob to hundreds of local children and families (and thousands more on YouTube) through their participation in videos that Becky created in her role as a children's librarian. One such video ("Learn to Play Double Solitaire with Ms. Becky and Grandma Lou") has over 42,000 views and counting.

Across her life, Lou loved music from classic singers like Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and especially, her favorite, Andy Williams, whose famous Christmas album provided the soundtrack for cookie decorating and "the most wonderful time of the year." She also loved classic movies like "Singin' in the Rain" and "My Fair Lady," and she laughed along with the rest of family during countless viewings of "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming." From "We've got to get organized!" to "Everybody is blaming you!"-she knew the lines as well as anybody. Lou was also admired within the family for successfully taking up water-skiing in her 40s and convincing husband Bob to take Arthur Murray dance lessons with her in their 50s.

Totally devoted to her family and loved by all, Lou is survived by her four children, seven grandchildren (Matthew, Kristen, Tiffany, Megan, Kate, Alena, and Thomas), six great-grandchildren (Denzel, Damari, Rosie, Lucy, Wade, and Ellie), as well as three daughters-in-law (Gail, Angelica, and Claire). She is predeceased by her brother, Chuck.

The family extends deep gratitude to all the caregivers who helped make it possible for Lou to spend her last several years at home, and who received their lessons and losses in solitaire with good humor.

The family will hold a private celebration of their beloved mother and grandmother.

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