Patricia “Patti” Harris Thompson

Patricia “Patti” Harris Thompson 

1955-2023 

Patricia “Patti” Harris Thompson, adored wife, mother and sister joined her husband, Jerry, in Heaven on July 12, 2023, after a rapid decline with a rare disease.  

Patti was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry; her parents, two sets of beloved in-laws and two foster children.  

She is survived by four siblings, Jackie Peterson, Kathy Westfall, Harry Barnes and Bill Barnes; five children, Renee Garcia, Gregory Harris, Nicholas Thompson, Alex Harris and Crystal Harris; and 14 grandchildren.  

Born and raised in North Olmstead, Ohio, she was heavily involved in Girl Scouts, and graduated from nursing school in 1977. She moved to Phoenix, Ariz., in 1980 where she worked labor and delivery in the local hospitals for 10 years.  

She met and married her first husband in 1981, and they had a daughter and son over the next three years. She moved the family to Los Lunas in 1990 to be closer to her in-laws.  

Patti began serving the community as a home health care nurse for pediatrics and NICU graduates for the next 30 years. She also opened her heart and home to foster children starting in 1994 through 2005, and in those years more than 100 children passed through her home. She was a driving force for the foster parent association at the time, organizing school supply drives and Christmas parties for the foster kids.  

She ultimately adopted three children, who were originally foster placements. After her first marriage dissolved, she met her second husband on a blind date in 1997 and married Jerome “Jerry” Thompson in 2001.  

She had a hard-fought victory over breast cancer in 2005.  

Camping was one of Patti’s favorite hobbies starting with tent camping and moving to bigger and better pull-trailers over the years and ultimately returning to a pop-up. Patti and Jerry joined a camping group in 2003 and Patti continued to camp with this group of friends through 2022.  

She retired from nursing in 2018. During the last few years, she filled her time with coffee breaks with dear family and friends, playing in her yard, occasionally babysitting grandchildren, providing support for her adult children, flipping houses, participating in church-supported outreaches and camping. She was the matriarch to a large, piecemealed family, frequently hosting gatherings and birthday parties. Patti was a forever-type friend, maintaining friendships for 25 to 62 years.  

She will be missed by all who knew her, and her loss will be felt by the community at large.  

Funeral arrangements were trusted to Noblin Funeral Service, Los Lunas, 2211-D Main St., SE Los Lunas, NM, 87031, 505-866-9992.