Many of you know, Joanne Marie Tompkins, who loved to be called "Ma" or "Gram" was diagnosed with dementia nearly six years ago. Despite this diagnosis, her passion for life, love of God and commitment to family never wavered. In her home surrounded by family she peacefully entered fully into the presence of the Lord on Thursday September 26, 2024, at the age of 88. Joanne was the heart and soul of our home and family, and a faith filled woman who loved the Lord, church, and community.
Joanne raised six children, Nancy, Sharon, Sandra, William, Cynthia and Michael, with love and devotion to develop into independent and thoughtful adults. Besides her children and their spouses (Sara, Susan, Nick, Anna, Gerald, and Danice) she is survived by her sister Norma Welch, 14 grandchildren (Christina, BJ, Thomas, Stacey, Marc, Theresa, Daniel, Kimberly, Hailey, Lauren, John, Victoria, Joshua and Meghan) and 18 great-grandchildren (Addison, Colton, Maverick, Cullen, Cameron, Charlotte, Caitlin, Cailin, Gunnar, Hunter, Blake, Brooklynn, Gabe, Ava, Grace, John, James and Daniel). Joanne is preceded in death by her parents John and Josephine Thomas, stepmom Norma Thomas, sisters Anne Fabiano and Roberta Doran, husband William F Tompkins Sr, daughter in-law Maria Tompkins and her grandson Gerald Bishop.
Joanne will be remembered by those who knew her as a devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, loyal friend, and a lover of the outdoors. She enjoyed camping trips, snowshoeing, and walking. She would often be seen strolling the neighborhood, accompanied by her beloved dogs, meeting neighbors, making new friends along the way. Joanne was a devout Catholic. Sacred Heart Church in Medford was her spiritual home for many years, where she participated in several ministries, including the Choir. This Church community provided her with many lifelong friends. They prayed together and played together, often visiting the Weston Priory in Vermont, which always held a special place in her heart.
Joanne was a member of the Charismatic Renewal Ministry at St. Agnes in Reading, a daily Communicant at St. Dorothy's in Wilmington, and very active in the TEC and Cursillo movements. St. Francis in Dracut became her home to worship in her later years.
The ministry of Joanne's heart was volunteering each Summer at EC Week at Camp Fatima. Working with God's children was a great source of happiness for her and for those with whom she worked.
If Camp Fatima was Joanne's passion, her family was her joy, especially her grandchildren. Every holiday and personal milestone was celebrated with enthusiasm. Joanne's Christmas decorations rivaled Santa's Village. Each birthday was celebrated with a private trip to the store to pick out just what was desired. Some days, no reason to celebrate was needed to give a little gift, and a "poof", as she called it, would appear before you, just to let you know that she was thinking of you.
Joanne would always tell those whom she loved that they were "making memories", and that is the gift that she will certainly leave her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and all who loved her. She was and will continue to be an inspiration to us all for living life to the fullest and not letting anything get in her way.
Family and friends are respectfully invited to pay their final respect to Joanne at St. Francis Church, 115 Wheeler Rd., Dracut, MA, Monday, September 30th, from 9am to 10am followed by a funeral Mass celebrated at 10 a.m. Services will conclude with burial at Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford. The funeral Mass will also be live streamed on the church website www.saintfrancis.net or https://.youtube.com/.live/aTI8muo3KgE?feature=share.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to EC Week (Camp Fatima) a ministry Gram felt strongly about, or BILH Hospice, who provided loving support and care for Gram over the past year. Beth Israel Lahey Health Office of Philanthropy, Gift Processing Center, 529 Main Street, Suite 400, Charlestown MA 02129 Support BILH At Home | Beth Israel Lahey Health at Home or Camp Fatima Exceptional Citizen's Week online giving page. EC Week at Camp Fatima, 32 Fatima Road, Gilmanton Iron Works, NH 03837 Donate | Exceptional Citizens' Week (ecweek.org)