Iris Jean Thompson

Iris Jean (Klopsteck) Thompson, 91, of Brenham, Texas , passed away peacefully on July 1, 2021, in Brenham, Texas.

Jean was born on January 3, 1930, in Kenney, Texas, just a few miles from St. Paul Lutheran Church of Phillipsburg to Gilbert B. Klopsteck and Olga A. (Reinhardt) Klopsteck. Jean grew up in the Bellville area and attended Austin County Rural Schools, where she graduated from Bellville High School. On January 28, 1949, Jean was united in marriage to Charles Lee Thompson at St. John Lutheran Church in Bellville.  The years granted them a son, and many years later, another son who lived only seven days and finally a daughter.  The family lived in Bellville, Texas, until 1951, when they relocated to Lubbock, Texas.  In 1968, the family moved to Amarillo, Texas, and in 1972, they moved once again, this time to Liberal, Kansas.  They only stayed in Liberal, Kansas, for about a year and in 1973, they moved back to Amarillo, Texas.  From Amarillo, in 1977, they moved back to Lubbock, and made full circle in 1989, when the family moved back home to Bellville.  Finally in 2019, she moved to Brenham.

Time and circumstance moved the family, but the Lutheran Church has always been a part of her life and she was a member of the Lutheran Church in whatever city they happened to live.  Her first church memories were of a white church on the hill and that men and women sat on opposite sides of the church.   These were depression times and attendance was limited. She was baptized June 8, 1930, and confirmed March 25, 1945, at St. John Lutheran Church in Bellville. Faith carried her through the many tests and challenges of her life.  God’s spirit was the anchor of her soul.

Jean was a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.  She worked in sales in Lubbock and enjoyed sewing, reading, and activities in her church, where she served in Stephen Ministry for nine years and performed data entry at St. John Lutheran Church in Bellville.

She is survived by her son:  Jack K. Thompson and his wife, Carolyn, of Centennial, Colorado;  daughter: Jana Lea Thompson of Zephyrhills, Florida; grandchildren:  Angela Thompson of Carson, Nevada, Thaïs A. Jones and husband, David, of Chamblee, Georgia, and Justin M. Thompson and wife, Marie, of Orcutt, California;  great-grandchildren:  Jake S. Thompson of Los Angeles, California,  Ethan Thompson of Raymond, Washington, Nicholas Thompson of Mesa, Arizona, and Olen and Wiley Jones of Chamblee, Georgia; and sister:  Lanette Fuller and husband Harold of Bellville, Texas.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents: Gilbert and Olga Klopsteck; loving husband: Charles Lee Thompson; and infant son: Charles Blane Thompson.

Friends who wish may make memorial gifts to:

Alzheimer's Association
Houston & South East Texas Chapter
6055 South Loop East
Houston, TX 77087-1005