Olive Patricia Maxwell Thompson
November 8, 1923 - February 13, 2010
Born November 8, 1923 and passed away February 13, 2010. She was the daughter of Frederick "Fritz" and May Maxwell. She was the fourth generation of the Gordon family to live in Jackson and her great grandchildren are the seventh generation to live in Amador County. She was the granddaughter of Abby and George Gordon, Superintendent of Amador County Schools and the great granddaughter of Hannah and Marion Gordon, the first Superior Court Judge in Amador County and State Legislator. She attended school in Alameda, Ca. and graduated from Alameda High School. She married Al Thompson June 8, 1942. When her husband went into the Army, she went to work at the Oakland Army Base. For four years she worked shipping food and supplies to the Pacific Theatre. When the war was over, she and her husband attended U.C. Davis obtaining a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Entomology. They opened the Gordon Hill Nursery in Jackson and later expanded to include a flower shop. Olive was an equal partner in the business as well as a mother of four. In the flower shop she made literally thousands of corsages, brides and bridesmaids bouquets over the years.
When she served on the Grand Jury in the early 50's she was involved in studying and reporting on the feasibility of a hospital in Amador County. The Supervisors were convinced and by the time she had her 3rd child, he was born in the Amador Hospital. She was a member of the PTA and a den mother for her three boys in the Cub Scouts. She was a Charter Member and Past President of the Claim Jumpers, Charter Member of the Soroptomist Club, Past President of the Native Daughters, active in the Gold Rush Players, and a member of the 18-30 Club.
When she was 55 she volunteered for a NASA program at Moffit Field in Sunnyvale. NASA, anticipating sending older scientists into space, was testing how well people 55 to 65 would handle space travel. For a year she underwent testing and thirteen weeks of training with the centrifuge, weightlessness and simulated re-entry.
In the 60's she began a career as an antique dealer as Thompson Antiques in the National Hotel and later in the Creekside Shops in Sutter Creek. She traveled to auctions and England and Ireland to purchase antiques. She and her partner Betty Duncan, The Tones and fellow antique dealers around the National Hotel Alley started a flea market. This cold March inspiration became an annual event and eventually became Dandelion Days.
In their retirement, she and her husband were able to travel, seeing many of the countries of Europe, Canada and several trips to Hawaii.
She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Al Thompson. She was proudly the mother of three sons Dennis Thompson (Kelly) of Jackson, Michael Thompson (Carol) of Rancho Murrieta, and Frederick Thompson (Martha) of Folsom and a daughter Patricia Stikeleather (Dave) of Pine Grove, seven grandchildren Laura Thompson, Bill Thompson, Lisa Stikeleather, Juliana Ritter (Brian), Salvatore Bruno (Rebecca), Christina Brace and the late David Brace and six great grandchildren Brianna Bruno, Arthur Bruno, Christopher Higuera, Cody Blackburn, Hannah Ritter and Maxwell Ritter.
She was preceded in death by her mother and father and her brother, Robert Gordon Maxwell and cousin Gordon Miller. Private family services will be held. Memorial donations may be sent to Amador Senior Center and the Interfaith Food Bank.
Services provided by: Family
from the Amador Ledger Dispatch
Sister of: Robert Gordon Maxwell.
Best Friend: Elizabeth Duncan.
November 8, 1923 - February 13, 2010
Born November 8, 1923 and passed away February 13, 2010. She was the daughter of Frederick "Fritz" and May Maxwell. She was the fourth generation of the Gordon family to live in Jackson and her great grandchildren are the seventh generation to live in Amador County. She was the granddaughter of Abby and George Gordon, Superintendent of Amador County Schools and the great granddaughter of Hannah and Marion Gordon, the first Superior Court Judge in Amador County and State Legislator. She attended school in Alameda, Ca. and graduated from Alameda High School. She married Al Thompson June 8, 1942. When her husband went into the Army, she went to work at the Oakland Army Base. For four years she worked shipping food and supplies to the Pacific Theatre. When the war was over, she and her husband attended U.C. Davis obtaining a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Entomology. They opened the Gordon Hill Nursery in Jackson and later expanded to include a flower shop. Olive was an equal partner in the business as well as a mother of four. In the flower shop she made literally thousands of corsages, brides and bridesmaids bouquets over the years.
When she served on the Grand Jury in the early 50's she was involved in studying and reporting on the feasibility of a hospital in Amador County. The Supervisors were convinced and by the time she had her 3rd child, he was born in the Amador Hospital. She was a member of the PTA and a den mother for her three boys in the Cub Scouts. She was a Charter Member and Past President of the Claim Jumpers, Charter Member of the Soroptomist Club, Past President of the Native Daughters, active in the Gold Rush Players, and a member of the 18-30 Club.
When she was 55 she volunteered for a NASA program at Moffit Field in Sunnyvale. NASA, anticipating sending older scientists into space, was testing how well people 55 to 65 would handle space travel. For a year she underwent testing and thirteen weeks of training with the centrifuge, weightlessness and simulated re-entry.
In the 60's she began a career as an antique dealer as Thompson Antiques in the National Hotel and later in the Creekside Shops in Sutter Creek. She traveled to auctions and England and Ireland to purchase antiques. She and her partner Betty Duncan, The Tones and fellow antique dealers around the National Hotel Alley started a flea market. This cold March inspiration became an annual event and eventually became Dandelion Days.
In their retirement, she and her husband were able to travel, seeing many of the countries of Europe, Canada and several trips to Hawaii.
She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Al Thompson. She was proudly the mother of three sons Dennis Thompson (Kelly) of Jackson, Michael Thompson (Carol) of Rancho Murrieta, and Frederick Thompson (Martha) of Folsom and a daughter Patricia Stikeleather (Dave) of Pine Grove, seven grandchildren Laura Thompson, Bill Thompson, Lisa Stikeleather, Juliana Ritter (Brian), Salvatore Bruno (Rebecca), Christina Brace and the late David Brace and six great grandchildren Brianna Bruno, Arthur Bruno, Christopher Higuera, Cody Blackburn, Hannah Ritter and Maxwell Ritter.
She was preceded in death by her mother and father and her brother, Robert Gordon Maxwell and cousin Gordon Miller. Private family services will be held. Memorial donations may be sent to Amador Senior Center and the Interfaith Food Bank.
Services provided by: Family
from the Amador Ledger Dispatch
Sister of: Robert Gordon Maxwell.
Best Friend: Elizabeth Duncan.
Olive Patricia Maxwell Thompson
November 8, 1923 - February 13, 2010
Born November 8, 1923 and passed away February 13, 2010. She was the daughter of Frederick "Fritz" and May Maxwell. She was the fourth generation of the Gordon family to live in Jackson and her great grandchildren are the seventh generation to live in Amador County. She was the granddaughter of Abby and George Gordon, Superintendent of Amador County Schools and the great granddaughter of Hannah and Marion Gordon, the first Superior Court Judge in Amador County and State Legislator. She attended school in Alameda, Ca. and graduated from Alameda High School. She married Al Thompson June 8, 1942. When her husband went into the Army, she went to work at the Oakland Army Base. For four years she worked shipping food and supplies to the Pacific Theatre. When the war was over, she and her husband attended U.C. Davis obtaining a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Entomology. They opened the Gordon Hill Nursery in Jackson and later expanded to include a flower shop. Olive was an equal partner in the business as well as a mother of four. In the flower shop she made literally thousands of corsages, brides and bridesmaids bouquets over the years.
When she served on the Grand Jury in the early 50's she was involved in studying and reporting on the feasibility of a hospital in Amador County. The Supervisors were convinced and by the time she had her 3rd child, he was born in the Amador Hospital. She was a member of the PTA and a den mother for her three boys in the Cub Scouts. She was a Charter Member and Past President of the Claim Jumpers, Charter Member of the Soroptomist Club, Past President of the Native Daughters, active in the Gold Rush Players, and a member of the 18-30 Club.
When she was 55 she volunteered for a NASA program at Moffit Field in Sunnyvale. NASA, anticipating sending older scientists into space, was testing how well people 55 to 65 would handle space travel. For a year she underwent testing and thirteen weeks of training with the centrifuge, weightlessness and simulated re-entry.
In the 60's she began a career as an antique dealer as Thompson Antiques in the National Hotel and later in the Creekside Shops in Sutter Creek. She traveled to auctions and England and Ireland to purchase antiques. She and her partner Betty Duncan, The Tones and fellow antique dealers around the National Hotel Alley started a flea market. This cold March inspiration became an annual event and eventually became Dandelion Days.
In their retirement, she and her husband were able to travel, seeing many of the countries of Europe, Canada and several trips to Hawaii.
She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Al Thompson. She was proudly the mother of three sons Dennis Thompson (Kelly) of Jackson, Michael Thompson (Carol) of Rancho Murrieta, and Frederick Thompson (Martha) of Folsom and a daughter Patricia Stikeleather (Dave) of Pine Grove, seven grandchildren Laura Thompson, Bill Thompson, Lisa Stikeleather, Juliana Ritter (Brian), Salvatore Bruno (Rebecca), Christina Brace and the late David Brace and six great grandchildren Brianna Bruno, Arthur Bruno, Christopher Higuera, Cody Blackburn, Hannah Ritter and Maxwell Ritter.
She was preceded in death by her mother and father and her brother, Robert Gordon Maxwell and cousin Gordon Miller. Private family services will be held. Memorial donations may be sent to Amador Senior Center and the Interfaith Food Bank.
Services provided by: Family
from the Amador Ledger Dispatch
Sister of: Robert Gordon Maxwell.
Best Friend: Elizabeth Duncan.
November 8, 1923 - February 13, 2010
Born November 8, 1923 and passed away February 13, 2010. She was the daughter of Frederick "Fritz" and May Maxwell. She was the fourth generation of the Gordon family to live in Jackson and her great grandchildren are the seventh generation to live in Amador County. She was the granddaughter of Abby and George Gordon, Superintendent of Amador County Schools and the great granddaughter of Hannah and Marion Gordon, the first Superior Court Judge in Amador County and State Legislator. She attended school in Alameda, Ca. and graduated from Alameda High School. She married Al Thompson June 8, 1942. When her husband went into the Army, she went to work at the Oakland Army Base. For four years she worked shipping food and supplies to the Pacific Theatre. When the war was over, she and her husband attended U.C. Davis obtaining a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Entomology. They opened the Gordon Hill Nursery in Jackson and later expanded to include a flower shop. Olive was an equal partner in the business as well as a mother of four. In the flower shop she made literally thousands of corsages, brides and bridesmaids bouquets over the years.
When she served on the Grand Jury in the early 50's she was involved in studying and reporting on the feasibility of a hospital in Amador County. The Supervisors were convinced and by the time she had her 3rd child, he was born in the Amador Hospital. She was a member of the PTA and a den mother for her three boys in the Cub Scouts. She was a Charter Member and Past President of the Claim Jumpers, Charter Member of the Soroptomist Club, Past President of the Native Daughters, active in the Gold Rush Players, and a member of the 18-30 Club.
When she was 55 she volunteered for a NASA program at Moffit Field in Sunnyvale. NASA, anticipating sending older scientists into space, was testing how well people 55 to 65 would handle space travel. For a year she underwent testing and thirteen weeks of training with the centrifuge, weightlessness and simulated re-entry.
In the 60's she began a career as an antique dealer as Thompson Antiques in the National Hotel and later in the Creekside Shops in Sutter Creek. She traveled to auctions and England and Ireland to purchase antiques. She and her partner Betty Duncan, The Tones and fellow antique dealers around the National Hotel Alley started a flea market. This cold March inspiration became an annual event and eventually became Dandelion Days.
In their retirement, she and her husband were able to travel, seeing many of the countries of Europe, Canada and several trips to Hawaii.
She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Al Thompson. She was proudly the mother of three sons Dennis Thompson (Kelly) of Jackson, Michael Thompson (Carol) of Rancho Murrieta, and Frederick Thompson (Martha) of Folsom and a daughter Patricia Stikeleather (Dave) of Pine Grove, seven grandchildren Laura Thompson, Bill Thompson, Lisa Stikeleather, Juliana Ritter (Brian), Salvatore Bruno (Rebecca), Christina Brace and the late David Brace and six great grandchildren Brianna Bruno, Arthur Bruno, Christopher Higuera, Cody Blackburn, Hannah Ritter and Maxwell Ritter.
She was preceded in death by her mother and father and her brother, Robert Gordon Maxwell and cousin Gordon Miller. Private family services will be held. Memorial donations may be sent to Amador Senior Center and the Interfaith Food Bank.
Services provided by: Family
from the Amador Ledger Dispatch
Sister of: Robert Gordon Maxwell.
Best Friend: Elizabeth Duncan.
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