Born in October 30, 1927 to Charles M. and Helena A. Franco in Shanghai, China. She was the third of seven children. In 1934 her family moved back to her father's hometown, Hong Kong, where she grew up, except for a four year period during WWII, when the family lived in Macau.
Thelma began her working career as a sales clerk, but she had a natural knack for languages and spoke six fluently which helped land her a job with BOAC as a flight attendant. She flew routes in the Far East and a Hong Kong to London route where she got to see the world and for a short time was based out of London, flying the London to Hong Kong route. On a flight to Japan, interrupted by high typhoon winds, Thelma met the love of her life, George R. "Tom" Thompson Jr., a 2nd Lt. in the USAF. They married in Japan in March of 1951 and she arrived in the United States later that year on Tom's return from his tour in Japan during the Korean War.
They raised 3 daughters travelling across the country during Tom's service in the Air Force and remained in Spokane on Tom's retirement, a favorite spot of both.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Tom, and six siblings, Albert, Rita, Ernest, Edward, Grace (Cole) and George. She is survived by her three daughters, Pat (Neil), Marie (Russell) and Liz (Leo) and grandson Kevin, plus numerous nieces and nephews.
Thelma began her working career as a sales clerk, but she had a natural knack for languages and spoke six fluently which helped land her a job with BOAC as a flight attendant. She flew routes in the Far East and a Hong Kong to London route where she got to see the world and for a short time was based out of London, flying the London to Hong Kong route. On a flight to Japan, interrupted by high typhoon winds, Thelma met the love of her life, George R. "Tom" Thompson Jr., a 2nd Lt. in the USAF. They married in Japan in March of 1951 and she arrived in the United States later that year on Tom's return from his tour in Japan during the Korean War.
They raised 3 daughters travelling across the country during Tom's service in the Air Force and remained in Spokane on Tom's retirement, a favorite spot of both.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Tom, and six siblings, Albert, Rita, Ernest, Edward, Grace (Cole) and George. She is survived by her three daughters, Pat (Neil), Marie (Russell) and Liz (Leo) and grandson Kevin, plus numerous nieces and nephews.
Born in October 30, 1927 to Charles M. and Helena A. Franco in Shanghai, China. She was the third of seven children. In 1934 her family moved back to her father's hometown, Hong Kong, where she grew up, except for a four year period during WWII, when the family lived in Macau.
Thelma began her working career as a sales clerk, but she had a natural knack for languages and spoke six fluently which helped land her a job with BOAC as a flight attendant. She flew routes in the Far East and a Hong Kong to London route where she got to see the world and for a short time was based out of London, flying the London to Hong Kong route. On a flight to Japan, interrupted by high typhoon winds, Thelma met the love of her life, George R. "Tom" Thompson Jr., a 2nd Lt. in the USAF. They married in Japan in March of 1951 and she arrived in the United States later that year on Tom's return from his tour in Japan during the Korean War.
They raised 3 daughters travelling across the country during Tom's service in the Air Force and remained in Spokane on Tom's retirement, a favorite spot of both.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Tom, and six siblings, Albert, Rita, Ernest, Edward, Grace (Cole) and George. She is survived by her three daughters, Pat (Neil), Marie (Russell) and Liz (Leo) and grandson Kevin, plus numerous nieces and nephews.
Thelma began her working career as a sales clerk, but she had a natural knack for languages and spoke six fluently which helped land her a job with BOAC as a flight attendant. She flew routes in the Far East and a Hong Kong to London route where she got to see the world and for a short time was based out of London, flying the London to Hong Kong route. On a flight to Japan, interrupted by high typhoon winds, Thelma met the love of her life, George R. "Tom" Thompson Jr., a 2nd Lt. in the USAF. They married in Japan in March of 1951 and she arrived in the United States later that year on Tom's return from his tour in Japan during the Korean War.
They raised 3 daughters travelling across the country during Tom's service in the Air Force and remained in Spokane on Tom's retirement, a favorite spot of both.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Tom, and six siblings, Albert, Rita, Ernest, Edward, Grace (Cole) and George. She is survived by her three daughters, Pat (Neil), Marie (Russell) and Liz (Leo) and grandson Kevin, plus numerous nieces and nephews.
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