Rebecca Sue (Turner) Thompson, daughter of the late Wayne Turner and Connie Joan (Jones) Grisham, was born February 10, 1959, in Davenport, Iowa, and passed away December 15, 2022, in Mountain Grove, Missouri, at 63 years of age.
Rebecca graduated from West High School in Davenport, Iowa, took additional collegiate classes and obtained the professional license of a commercial real estate broker.
Rebecca was the very definition of hard work. She eventually became a well-known commercial real estate broker, but as she began her adult life, she wanted nothing more than to be a mother and raise a family. Those lucky enough to call her mom can tell you how fierce of a mother she was. And her “children” extended far beyond just her three. Rebecca became known as Mama T, and would not stand for someone being alone on a holiday, nor go through a difficult time without her love and support.
Early in her life she was a waitress, as it was known at the time, to make ends meet while her children were young. She would bring home her tips and her children thought they were rich, and they were, if not monetarily. She cleaned houses until she was eight months pregnant and was put on mandatory bedrest. She managed a local convenience store and when needed, she ran her father’s fabrication shop’s business office. No matter what the job though, Rebecca approached each with enthusiasm and a smile. These roles never deterred her from that first aspiration. She was always the room mother, den mother and first to volunteer to go on a school field trip. She baked for every bake sale and ensured every project was done on time. She never missed one of her children’s games. As they got older and her professional responsibilities grew, she would still get up with the sun to iron a suit or stay up late into the night helping them prepare for a competition.
Rebecca’s family moved to Mountain Grove, Missouri, in 1992.
Again, always willing to do whatever she needed to to ensure her family never wanted for anything, she worked in the Richards Brothers bakery, and then at home health and the doctor’s office. Soon her natural ability to connect with people and her tenacity to finish a project led her to the world of real estate. In very short order she came into a very niche aspect of the industry, long-term care transactions. This was one of her great loves in life. She developed deep friendships and professionally became known as the person to call if you were trying to buy or sell a facility. Her industrious spirit led her to purchase her own long-term care facilities, and although less lucrative, they were facilities for the mentally ill and developmentally delayed. Again, devoting herself to those who often went without care and love or had a hard life.
She brought her children into the industry as well. Together they continued to grow the family businesses and were partners until she passed.
Rebecca was lucky enough to have a very large extended family. She grew up with numerous aunts and cousins and spent a great deal of her free time with them. She loved to do pottery and paint figurines, shoot archery and have the whole family over to play cards. She was an immensely great cook, but was always home-style, without frills. She enjoyed doing aerobics with her friends, crocheting blankets for everyone and doing macramé. Given the “Gift To Gab”, she truly enjoyed a cup of coffee and time to visit, a long phone call or a midnight chat with her “children”. She was also known to love some mischief and pranks.
Rebecca’s marriage with the father of her children wasn’t perfect, but full of love. She was married three times in her life. These led to some wonderful travels and adventures.
She was preceded in death by her mother and father, Bill and Connie Grisham, her biological father, Wayne Turner, her sister Vicky Sheppard and her dear friend, Juanita May Bell.
Rebecca is survived by her sister, Sue Gunter, brother, Vince Grisham, her three children, Connie Vaughan, Billy Thompson and his partner, Matt Ryffel, and Bradlee Thompson and wife, Ellen, the Loves of her Life, her grandchildren, Gaven and Drew Vaughan, and her newest granddaughter Tilly Francis Thompson, and a large, loving extended family and friends.
