Teri Lynn Thompson
Obituary of Teri Lynn Thompson, Age 60 years May 2, 1964 to March 30, 2025 Teri Lynn Thompson, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away on March 30, 2025, at the age of 60 while at home surrounded by her treasured family. She is survived by her husband, Donald Gene Thompson, her children Austin (Jesi) of Garden City, Matthia (Mike) of Zearing, Shamis (Veronica) of State Center, Donny (Andrea) of Radcliff, Gabriel of Zearing, and Lyndey of New Providence. Teri's 13 grandchildren will greatly miss their energetic and lively grandma who made the game "Spoons" into a table-jumping lap-sitting physical sport. She will also be missed by her many brothers and sisters. Preceding Teri in death is her mother and stepfather, Sandra and Vail Olson. Additionally, a very special blessing awaits Teri in heaven as she meets her 15 miscarried babies and is finally able to hug them. She loved being a mother! Teri grew up in Nevada and married her high school sweetheart, Don, on November 13, 1982, which was the 2nd...[more]View Full Online Obituary and Tributes
niversary of their 1st date. She related the story one time about how their first date included two of his friends, to her surprise. However, it was during this bowling date, she "saw potential", and a marriage that spanned 42 years soon followed. Athletics was a favorite of Teri's while in school as she participated on the Bantum Bowling League, traveled with the Roller Speed Skating team, and competed in Track. She said that her competitiveness came from her dad, along with a personal goal to "show up the boys", which may contribute to why she took BB Gun lessons at age 10, took a Shop Class in 5th Grade, or the time she shot at possums from a crank-out style bathroom window. Teri's adventurous nature continued throughout her life and a personal fond experience she shared was of her time with the Onion Creek Cloggers where she danced and played fiddle. She loved those times. In 2017, Teri started the Knotted Dough Company where she made and sold a wide variety of kringla. As the business grew, they branched out and in 2019 opened the Oil Press Diner, located in Zearing. Covid then hit the nation, and in 2022 the diner was closed. Teri, Don, and family helpers then traveled to many states to spread the word about their kringla, and a proud moment for the company was when Fareway decided to sell the kringla throughout their Iowa stores. So smile when you see a package of "Knotted Dough Kringla", and know that Teri's passion and talent lives on. Faithful Servant of God could be what many recall about their time with Teri. She came to the Lord during the earlier days of her marriage, and after that she became a warrior of Christ. She could always be counted on to pray for you - and even total strangers were blessed by Teri's determination to set aside the uncomfortable to do God's work. She lived with a tireless faithfulness! She knew wholeheartedly that God was bigger than any mountain she faced. She knew God was bigger than any problem anyone faced and she was never ashamed to share with others the gospel of Christ. During the Covid shutdown, she was blessed with an opportunity to lead her grandson, Gaige, to the Lord, and baptized him in their bathtub. She was a soldier for God, solid, true, brave, and never fearful to walk in obedience to the Lord. In every way, she was a faithful servant. Another of Teri's greatest joys in life revolved around her family, and even though she did have some personal setbacks, sorrows that come with living life in this fallen world, she always pushed forward with determination to love her family, bless her family, and she counted family as her biggest treasure. She especially enjoyed teaching about character: "It's not what we get but what we do for someone else", and truly loved the friendships that grew over the years with her children and grandchildren. A favorite memory of Teri's was spending time at Clear Water Beach in 2023 for a vacation with three of her kids. Sharing laughter with her family brought Teri comfort as it soothed her soul. Teri also had quite the funny bone! She had an uncanny ability to use humor through the telling of stories, funny situations, make-believe personas she put on for spam phone callers, and the retelling of embarrassing situations she found herself in. We could laugh and laugh along with Teri over the silliest things. And she didn't seem to have any embarrassment over the messy situations she sometimes experienced! She loved to laugh, even when it was at herself. We can still hear her saying: "Don't look - just don't look!" as she giggled over a recent mishap. Teri's vitality for life, her dedication to her family and business, and especially her love for God which carried through every aspect of her life will be missed by many. Rest in peace, beloved. A Celebration of Life service will be held for Teri at 12:00 pm, Saturday, April 19th, 2025 at The Country Cathedral in State Center. Visitation will begin at 10am. A private family-only burial will be held at a later date where she will be buried at McCallsburg Cemetery near Don's parents. Yellow was Teri's favorite color, so she's requested that you wear something with yellow at the service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a tree that could be planted on the home property, or perhaps donate to your favorite Missions charity in memory of Teri since supporting missions work was near and dear to Teri's heart. Visitation: Saturday, April 19, 2025, 10:00-12:00pm Celebration of Life: Saturday, April 19, 2025, 12:00pm Location: The Country Cathedral, 1956 Durham Ave., State Center, IA 50247
