Anne Thompson

ANNE THOMPSON

Anamosa

Anne Thompson, 77, died peacefully Monday, Nov. 27, 2017, with her loving family present, at the Anamosa Care Center following a long and brave battle with Alzheimer's.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, at Goettsch Funeral Home, Anamosa, where friends may call after 11 a.m. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery.

She is survived by her children, Vernon (Amanda) Thompson, Jeanette (Daniel) Nelson and Heidi Thompson; her grandchildren, Jessie Scholle, Jacob, Matthew, Emily, Lily and Owen Thompson, Reece Gilroy, Alexandra Thompson and Sean Floyd; her sisters, Leslie Fisher, Mary Skow and Linda Rutherford; and brothers, James (Jimmy) and William (Bill) Stumpff.

Anne Rae Stumpff was born on Nov. 24, 1940, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She was the daughter of Ray and Anna Mae Raftis Stumpff. She graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1958 from Jefferson High School. Anne married Donald D. Thompson on Jan. 23, 1959, and was his loving partner and wife until his passing in November of 2012.

A longtime resident of Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities, Anne was a published poet and a freelance writer for local newspapers in the 1960s. As an entrepreneur in 1970, she opened an antique and craft store in Marion, Annie's Attic. In 1976, her love for animals led her to start her own grooming business, Pampered Pets, Cedar Rapids' first stand-alone full service dog and cat grooming store. She was followed in her profession by her daughter, Jenny, and her daughter–in-law, Amanda, and granddaughter, Alex. In later years, Anne lived at home in Anamosa with the help and care of her children and grandchildren until October of 2015, when she moved to the care center.

Always active in her community, her church and as a parent, she hosted and led Blue Birds and Campfire girls, GMG and was a Cub Scout den mother. At both First Presbyterian and Valley View Baptist Church, she participated in the choir and taught Sunday school, and volunteered for special events with her endless energy and creativity. A lifelong member of the Republican Party, she was involved in both local and state politics. She served on the Cedar Rapids Area Environmental Protection Agency and the Eastern Iowa Planning and Zoning Board for many years. In May of 1970, she formed the nonprofit organization Citizens League for Environmental Protection Now, which had over 5,000 members in the Cedar Rapids area. Anne and the organization were instrumental in starting and organizing the Earth Day Parade in Cedar Rapids for several years.