Ms. Gertie B. Thompson

My name is Gertie B. Thompson. Family and close friends affectionately call me 'B.' I was born to Maxine and LeRoy Cole on May 13, 1942. Growing up in a COGIC family, I embraced Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at a young age. In 1960, I graduated from Alamo Central High School, relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, and later married Bobby Leon Carter. Though the marriage was short-lived, it brought into my life two beautiful daughters, Constance Marie and Gwendolyn Darlene. While in St. Louis, I pursued my passion for beauty, attending Beauty School and obtaining my Cosmetologist license. In 1972, I met and married the love of my life, Tilden Ray Thompson, who was serving in the United States Army. During our marriage, we had the opportunity to live in Okinawa, Japan, and Bad Toelz, Germany, which allowed me to explore places like the Philippines, Guam, Paris, Rome, Holland, Italy, and Spain, among others. After my husband retired in 1982, we returned to St. Louis, where I worked for Southwestern Bell/AT&T and was a devoted member of San Francisco Temple Church of God in Christ. Our happiness was uninterrupted until he passed away in 1990. In 1997, I chose to retire and returned to my hometown of Bells, TN, where I pursued and obtained a degree in Early Childhood Education. In 2010, I decided to give marriage another chance and married William Johnson, Jr., moving to Memphis, TN, and attending Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ. Eventually, I returned to Bells, where I remained until my health declined, leading me to relocate to Virginia. On September 18, 2023, God called me home. To my remaining family, my daughters Connie and Darlene, my son-in-law Anthony Adams, my sister Alice Faye McDearman, granddaughters Tiffany, Sydney, and Shelby, my aunt Lou Alice McClain, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends, I want to convey that while you may mourn my absence, find solace in knowing that I now rest in the loving arms of the Father, reunited with family who preceded me. God has been gracious to me. I have found immense joy as His disciple, spreading the Gospel as a missionary, lifting praise through song and the piano, visiting the sick and those confined, and participating in the prison ministry. I have truly lived a blessed life. I love you and will miss you, but be encouraged and always, always trust in God.

Ms. Gertie B. Thompson

May 13, 1942 - September 18, 2023