Obituary: Ardith Thompson

Ardith Irene (Jones) Thompson passed away peacefully at the age of 95 on April 8, 2026, at Brookside Manor in Hood River, Oregon. Ardith was born on March 19, 1931, to Arthur and Winifred Jones of Trout Lake, Washington. Ardith grew up in Trout Lake with her older sister Shirley (deceased) and graduated as valedictorian from the Trout Lake School. She met her future husband, Lloyd Thompson, in Trout Lake and they married in 1950. Lloyd and Ardith celebrated 75 years of marriage with a community party at the Trout Lake Grange in June 2025.

Lloyd and Ardith raised four children: Nola (deceased), Bonnie, Ronda, and Robert. The family spent a number of years in California, and lived in Klamath Falls, Oregon, for 30 years. Ardith was a mother and homemaker at heart, but she also had a variety of careers outside the home. Ardith worked part-time at U.S. Bank in Klamath Falls while her children were young. in the mid-1970s, she joined Lloyd in his long haul trucking company, and she logged over one million miles of on-time deliveries in her 18-wheeler. Traveling around the country in her truck gave her a sense of freedom, confidence, and accomplishment in a job well done.