Obituary of Darlene Thompson

lene Marie Thompson, 76, passed away on Friday, March 11, 2011 in Salinas, CA, with her family by her side after a long battle with heart disease. She was born December 6, 1934 in Fort Dodge, Iowa. She is the owner of Smokey Key Service and is a retired food services worker from the Alisal Union School District. She is an active member throughout her life in the following orginizations; Boy Scout's, Girl Scout's of America, and the Lion's Club. She participated in the school PTA with her children and supported her grandchildren with school activities. She bowled many years with the Reno/Tahoe League at Salinas Valley Center Bowl. She enjoyed cooking for family gatherings, BBQ'ing, and loved celebrating the holdays throughout the year with family. She was also a big supporter of her husband's 42 years of military service. She enjoyed seeing her grandchildren grow up and was really excited for the soon-to-be birth of her first great-grandson, Austin Susidko. Darlene is preceeded in death by her brother, Duane F. Schuster. She is survived by her husband of 57 years, John "Smokey" Thompson of Salinas, two children, son Steven R. (Terry) of Salinas, daughter Kimberely (Ronnie) Rehn of Salinas, adopted son Michael (Karen) McIntosh of Salinas, her loving grandchildren, Stephanie (Kyle) Susidko, Samantha Thompson, and Paige Marie Rehn, all of Salinas, Jessica and Erick of Newman. She lived a very fulfilled life and will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and other staff of Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital with the care they provided throughout her long illness. A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, March 19, 2011 at the Healey Mortuary Chapel 405 N. Sanborn Rd. in Salinas. A reception will immediately follow funeral services at Smokey's house. Memorial donations in honor of Darlene can be made to: Salinas Host Lion's Club P.O. Box 1 Salinas, CA 93902 Attn: Dennis Miller/City of Hope or Salvation Army of Salinas 2460 N. Main St. Salinas, CA 93906 Attn: Major Potter.