Barbara Nell Thompson's Obituary
THOMPSON, BARBARA NELL (DILLEN), 75, died the morning of April 15, 2008 at a local hospital in Richardson, TX after a protracted illness. Visitation will be 6:00pm to 9:00pm, Friday, April 18 at Restland Funeral Home, 13005 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX. Services will be held at 1:00pm, Saturday, April 19, in the Memorial Chapel at Restland. Burial will be in the Long Branch Family Cemetery at Long Branch, TX. There will be a grave side service at 2:00pm, Sunday, April 20 for the friends and relatives in the East Texas area, yet all are welcome. Barbara was born April 19, 1932 and was raised in Nacogdoches, TX. Her parents were Jesse N. Dillen and Ruthie Holder Dillen. She graduated from Demonstration High School in Stephen F. Austin University, then continued there to earn a degree in Elementary Education in 1951. She later did graduate work at Texas Tech University and Texas A&M University-Commerce where she earned a Masters Degree in Elementary Education. She began her teaching career in Alvin, TX and Lubbock, TX; then she settled in Richardson in 1957 and began teaching at Spring Creek Elementary. In 1968, she transferred to Jess Harbin Elementary School where she taught kindergarten and first grade to three generations of students. In 1994, she retired as a master teacher after 43 years of teaching. She guided more than 2000 students and inspired three grandmother, mother, daughter groups all of which were her students and later became teachers from her example. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Richardson, TX, Beta Sigma Phi Sorority, the National Education Association, the Richardson Retired Teachers Association and the Richardson Women’s Club. In 1969, she was awarded a Rise Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence. Survivors include her husband of 55 years, William L. Thompson; one son, Marc B. Thompson of Plano, TX; sister, Mary Akin of Nacogdoches, TX; brother, Charles Dillen of Joaquin, TX; sisters-in-law, Bess Dillen of Joaquin and Coma Dillen of Longview, TX; and eight nieces and nephews. Pallbearers will be Marc Thompson, Kevin Cook, Charles Dillen, Bruce Akin, Wade Feemster and G. Winston Churchill.
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