BROOKFIELD, Ohio (MyValleyTributes) – Carol L. (Parker) Thompson, of Brookfield, Ohio, passed from this life on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, following a brief illness. She was 80.
Carol was born September 24, 1943, at home in Hickory, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Carl and Myrtle (Nelson) Parker. Having lost both parents by the age 14, she was then raised by her aunt, Elsie Taylor of Masury, Ohio, where she was surrounded by family and love.
A graduate of Hubbard High School and Kent State University, she taught English for many years at Liberty High School.
She married Gerald “Jerry” L. Thompson on August 24, 1963. Carol and Jerry recently celebrated 60 years of marriage, having been blessed with a life of friendship and love.
Carol left teaching to become a floral shop owner and artist at Suburban Floral Shop, of Brookfield. Following that career, she obtained a Master’s Degree in Education from Youngstown State University. She became an instructor of English there and at the Penn State University Shenango Campus.
Jerry and Carol were quite active in the Brookfield Rotary Exchange Student Program for many years. They made the students feel a part of a larger family in Brookfield, chaperoning them on tours of Washington D.C., Niagara Falls, etc. They maintained lifelong friendships/bonds with the students and their families and also traveled to visit several of them in their homelands. The Brookfield Rotary Club awarded Carol with their highest honor – The Paul Harris Fellowship Award.
They enjoyed spending the last 17 years wintering in the Florida Keys at the “Landings of Largo” where they developed another extended family. Carol was gifted with the ability to listen to everyone’s stories, hardships and triumphs to offer sage advice. Carol was the best wife, sister, aunt, cousin and friend. She cataloged family history, researched ancestry and could identify faces or names from pictures 60 plus years old for both the Thompson and Parker-Taylor families.
She was preceded in death by her beloved sister, Gail Ann and brothers, Bill and Ed Parker.
She is survived by her husband, Jerry; as well as many, many nieces and nephews.
A time of gathering to honor Carol will be held on Friday, October 20, 2023, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., in the home of Briceland Funeral Service, 379 State Route 7 SE, Brookfield, OH 44403.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 11:00 a.m., also in the funeral home.
Memorial contributions can be made to either MCAR, 850 N. Hermitage Road, Hermitage, PA 16148 or Hospice House, 9803 Sharrott Road, Poland, OH 44514.
Expressions of sympathy may be left for her family at www.bricelandfuneralservice.com.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Carol L. Thompson, please visit our flower store.
A television tribute will air Tuesday, October 10 at the following approximate times: 5:17 a.m. on WKBN, 8:39 a.m. on FOX, 5:21 p.m. on WYTV and 6:35 p.m. on MyYTV. Video will be posted here the day of airing.
