Betty J. Thompson, 77, Brighton

Betty Jean Thompson, 77, of Brighton, died at 6:31 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, at Alton Memorial Hospital in Alton.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at Targhetta and Wooldridge Funeral Home in Brighton, with the Rev. Darryl Bolen officiating. Burial will be in Brighton Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday at the funeral home. Memorials: American Heart Association.

Mrs. Thompson was born on April 7, 1931, the daughter of James and Mildred Randolph Holman. She married D. Laverne “Pedro” Thompson on July 30, 1949, in Vandalia; he died on Nov. 9, 1991.

She worked at Johnson, Stephens and Shinkle Shoe Factory in Vandalia for a time. The family moved to the Alton area in 1967, and she worked many years at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Alton before retiring.

She is survived by daughters, Pamela Young Taylor of Highland, Bonnie Wehrle Sampson of Sandoval, Patricia Blumstein of Brighton and Brenda Grizzle Ross of Brighton; nine grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, parents and a brother, Bruce T. Holman.