Dorothy Mae Thompson

Dorothy Mae Thompson, 77, Altus, passed away on Saturday, September 3, 2022 at her home. A Celebration of Life will be at 2:00 PM on Friday, September 16, 2022 in the Kincannon Memorial Chapel. Inurnment will immediately follow at Dryden Cemetery under the care of the Kincannon Funeral Home and Cremation Service.

Dorothy Thompson was born to Lewis and Lillie Thompson in Elk City, OK on July 28, 1945. These dates do not define Dorothy. It’s what happened in between those dates that tell you who she was. If you knew Dorothy, you knew she was an extraordinarily strong woman. She had four children, Tammy Lynn Wilhelm, Monte Melton, Kerry Melton, and Kelvin Gene Melton. Dorothy buried two of her children, survived 5 heart attacks, 9 stents, triple bypass surgery and on and off dialysis. She was a strong woman. Shortly before she passed away, Dorothy made the comment that she “had a good run.” She loved her childhood, her parents, her children, her grandchildren, her pets, and her travels. And she loved gambling and cards.

Dorothy’s first years were spent in Carter, OK, surrounded by grandparents, aunts and uncles, and about a zillion cousins. Cousins were special to her throughout her entire life. The family moved to a sand hill farm, northwest of Hollis, and to Dorothy this was her garden of Eden. As the years passed, and life’s burdens began to take their toll, Dorothy often retreated to her happy place - the farm. She loved the farmhouse, with its big porch, lack of running water, and no indoor bathroom. With Mom and Dad handling all the cares and worries, Dorothy was free to play with her dogs and draw playhouses in the dirt. Nothing was better than to get a saltshaker and spoon and head to the watermelon patch to bust open a watermelon and eat it right there.

Dorothy loved her children and grandchildren unconditionally. She worked hard to provide for them and give them everything they needed. Holidays were special but she probably enjoyed Halloween the best. One Halloween she dressed as Dracula and her son Gene was the green Hulk. Unfortunately, green dye and shoe polish did not wash off and she had to send her son to school with a green face the next day.

What can be said about Dorothy’s love of pets? She had many over the years and she loved them all. If an animal was lucky enough to live with Dorothy, it lived a life of luxury. One of the reasons she fought so hard to come home from the hospital the last time was to be with her dog, Cocoa, one more time.

Dorothy was fortunate enough to travel. She went from New York City to Los Angeles, California and several points in between. She loved New York City and went to the top of the Empire State Building and rode the subways. She toured southern plantations and rode a carriage in Charleston, South Carolina. She gambled in Vegas and sat on the beach in Santa Monica.

Dorothy loved games: dominoes, cards, slot machines. She made many friends over the years playing these games. To her, dominoes and card games were almost blood sports. She was very competitive.

Dorothy lived, loved, lost, and survived to continue loving her family, friends, and pets. So “You can shed tears that she is gone. Or you can smile because she has lived.”

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, Lewis and Lillie Thompson, two children, Tammy Melton Wilhelm and Kerry Melton, three brothers, Billy Joe Thompson, Leroy Thompson, and Lavelle Thompson and her brother-in-law, Curtis Ishcomer.

She is survived by two sons, Monte Melton and Kelvin Gene Melton; grandchildren, Josh Wilhelm and wife, Andrea, Heather Gauntt and husband, Brent, Savanah Ashurst and husband, Josh, Brandi Melton, Matthew Tipton and wife, Nicki, and Austen Melton; as well as 13 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews, including special nephews, Lavelle Ishcomer and Terry Ishcomer. She is also survived by her sister, Kathy Ishcomer, and many of the cousins she loved so dearly.

Online tributes may be made at kincannonfuneralhome.com