Ruby Estelle Thompson

Ruby Estelle Thompson of Colquitt died peacefully on December 15, 2025, at her residence. A graveside service will be held for family and friends at Colquitt City Cemetery on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will be held at Colquitt Funeral Home Chapel on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Estelle Thompson was born Ruby Estelle Johnson in 1931, daughter of Wesley Johnson (Mvskoke) and Anna Lee Johnson, and grew up in Oklahoma in the humblest of circumstances. For the rest of her life, she revered her mother’s example of working hard and caring for her family, no matter how difficult the circumstances. She fell in love with Ralph Thompson in high school, and they married just after she graduated, valedictorian of her class. Ralph worked at several different cattle ranches in Texas, Oklahoma, and Georgia before moving to Jo-Su-Li Farms in Colquitt in 1956. They would remain part of the Colquitt community for the rest of their lives.

Estelle, despite being incredibly shy and with only a high school education, eventually became the ranch secretary for Jo-Su-Li, a major agricultural operation, teaching herself to manage financial affairs and the intricacies of farming and the cattle business side by side with Ralph. She was a remarkably intelligent woman who was driven to assist the many families on the farm with financial, legal, and medical troubles whenever they arose. All the while, she managed her home and raised six rowdy and diverse children with loving attention. When Jo-Su-Li was sold 25 years later, Estelle and Ralph went into the cattle business themselves as T-Bar Ranch, and for Superior Livestock, buying and selling cattle all over the Southeast for the next 27 years.

Her family would tell you these facts about her: she was an excellent cook, seamstress, and storyteller. She had endless wisdom and incredible inner strength. She faced tragedy with resilience and grace, especially the losses of her son Freddy and her grandson Dusty. She never forgot where and who she came from. For her family and community, she was a quiet role model of spiritual compassion and an advocate for social justice. She believed that one of the highest callings for a human being is to care for others in need. Instances of her personal efforts to help the marginalized in her community are simply too innumerable to recount. Her simple acts of kindness were the rarest kind and an inspiration to many others. She had a profound faith that was expressed not in words but in the life she lived.

Estelle was preceded in death by her husband Ralph Thompson, her son Freddy Thompson, her grandson Dustin Bannister, her parents, Anna Lee Johnson and Wesley Johnson, her sister Helen Duncan Hare and her brothers Charles Johnson and Raymond Johnson.

Estelle is survived by her children Robert (Debi) Thompson of Carney, Oklahoma; Michael Thompson (spouse Tina Deschenie) of Farmington, New Mexico; Sally (Penn) Wells of Portland, Oregon; Will Thompson of Douglas, Georgia; Debbie (Bruce) Henry of Colquitt, Georgia; 8 grandchildren Steve Thompson (spouse Jana Steelman), Daniel (Natalie) Ingalsbe, Katie (Mark) Higgins, Brooke Wells (spouse Ryan Bledsoe), Will (Jordan) Henry, Desiree Deschenie (spouse Mark Williams), Tatiana Deschenie and Troy Hunt; 10 great-grandchildren Will Reid Thompson, Sage Hunt, Sky Hunt, Jack Higgins, Lila Higgins, Bryce Bledsoe, Maddox Bledsoe, Nora Ingalsbe, Ruby Ingalsbe, and J.D. Henry; and by her brothers John Johnson and Nelson Johnson.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the James W. Merritt, Jr. Memorial Library or to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.