Lodasca Thompson

Lodasca Irene Cronin Thompson was born July 12, 1926 to Helen Irene Williams

and Dennis John Cronin.

She loved gardening and grew vegetables which she canned each year. She

knitted, crocheted, and sewed. She made most of her daughter’s dresses while

they were growing up and created beautiful quilts.

She is predeceased by her beloved husband, Wayne A Thompson; Daughter, Kay

Tripp; Son-in-law, Lawrence Cluff; son-in-law, Gary Truescott; and great-

granddaughter Zara Mercer.

She is survived by her son-in-law, Lee Tripp; Daughters Barbara Cluff and Debbie

Truescott; Jim and Ellen Thompson; David and Ruth Thompson; Leah and Jeff

Haymore; Becky and Bob Milam, 27 grandchildren and 45 great grandchildren.

Lodasca Irene Cronin Thompson Was born in Altamont, Wyoming, July 12, 1926 to

Helen Irene Williams and Dennis John Cronin. She joined a brother Eugene

Hyrum Cronin and a sister Mary Lou Cronin. They were later joined by a brother

Dennis Cornelius Cronin. The family lived along the Union Pacific Railroad in small

towns for the next several years. Some consisting only of the train depot with

living quarters for the Station Master; the larger towns had half dozen houses on

each side of the tracks, with a general store and a one room school house for

grades one through eight.

Irene started school in one of those one room school houses when she was five

because she refused to stay home if Mary Lou got to go to school. Her father died

in 1942, when Irene was 16. The family moved to Ogden to be near family and

Irene began her senior year at Ogden High School. One weekend in April 1944

she met an Army private named Wayne A Thompson at a dance at White City

Dance Hall. They dated the rest of her Senior year and he took her to her Senior

Prom. Irene graduated high school June 1, 1944.

After high school she began working at Hill Air Force Base as a clerk typist. She

and Wayne were married in Wells, Nevada on July 17, 1944. Wayne was working

at the motor pool at Bushnell General Hospital and so Irene got a job as a clerk

typist at Bushnell. This arrangement allowed them to have a good meal at noon

since they could not cook in their living quarters. They later found a two-room

apartment. Irene worked at a clerk typist until Feb 1945 when she was let go

because it was not considered proper to work past the 7th month of pregnancy.

Helen Kay was born on June 2, 1945.

On May 2, 1946, Wayne was discharged from the Army. In September he went to

Moscow, Idaho to enroll in school and look for a place for the family to live, while

Irene and Kay went to live with her mother and await the birth of their second

child. Barbara came into the family Oct 23, 1946. Wayne was able to find a two-

bedroom apartment and when he went back to Ogden to for Thanksgiving, he

took his little family to Moscow with him. It was a bit of a change for Irene since

the apartment had two coal or wood burning stoves one for cooking and one for

heat. Wayne started the fires in the morning and Irene soon learned how to keep

them burning all day. They settled into a comfortable routine, Wayne going to

classes, studying Civil Engineering and working two nights and Irene taking care of

the children.

In June 1948 they decided to take a break from school for a summer and moved

to Jerome, Idaho where Wayne had family. Debbie entered the family that

summer on Aug 31, 1948. Three weeks later the family returned to Moscow and

back to their routine. Irene picked up knitting, crocheting, and sewing. She made

both sweaters and dresses for the girls. On March 22, 1950, James Dee was

welcomed into the family.

In Jan of 1951 Wayne graduated and got a job in the engineering department at

the Navy base in Hawthorne, Nevada. The family soon moved into government

housing. On July 6, 1952, David joined the family. Five weeks later the family

went to the Salt Lake temple to be sealed as a family. On Jan 9, 1954, Leah was

born into the family followed by Rebecca on Aug 13, 1955.

In December Wayne accepted an offer from a military installation in California for

a civil engineering position that would be an advancement for him. So the family

moved to California and settle in San Bruno. Life progressed with activity in the

church, going to school for the children and their growing into adulthood at a

normal pace. Over time each of the children went to college, married and started

families of their own. Irene and Wayne settled into their empty nester routine

eventually moving back to Jerome and building their dream house which was big

enough for all of her children and their families to return to for visits. Irene and

Wayne served a mission in England from Oct 1984 to May 1986 and then returned

to their home in Jerome. They spent their time welcoming grandchildren and later

great grand children into the world, working on their little farm and working in

the temple in Boise. On March 12, 1999, after attending the wedding of their

granddaughter, Amy, Wayne passed. Irene had to regroup and settle into a new

life. She eventually sold the house and went on a mission serving in the Atlanta

Georgia temple. She then went to live with her oldest daughter Kay and after Kay

passed she went to live with her daughter, Debbie, bringing her back to her roots

in the Jerome/Twin Falls area where she passed on June 14, 2022 at 95 years.

Funeral service will be held June 17, 1922 at 10:00 am at 229 Park

Ave., Twin Falls, ID. Viewing at 9:00am, Family Prayer 9:45am. Burial and

dedication Mon. June 20, 2022.  Those who wish may share memories and condolences on her memorial page at www.magicvalleyfuneralhome.com. 

Those who wish may view her memorial video at: https://youtu.be/5AmLlae23dI

To View Lodasca Thompson Funeral Service, Click Here: https://youtu.be/Jp224UbRtXA

To view  Lodasca Thoompson Interment Service, Click Here: https://youtu.be/llroiKWAvwI