Barbara Thompson, 61, was a minister, educator, and ‘best friend’
Her husband, Derek, invoked the lyrics of Lou Rawls when asked to sum up his love for his wife of more than 40 years.
- Barbara Thompson
- 61 years old
- Lived in Springfield
- Her husband of 42 years called her 'one of God’s best’
The way Barbara Thompson carried herself in her 61 years on Earth has left her husband no doubt that she is at peace in an eternal home.
Mrs. Thompson was an educator, a minister, a beacon of light, and the mother of seven children. The first lady of Enon Chapel Baptist Church at 54th and Sansom Streets, she was always lending a hand.
“Mom was my best friend,” Gabriella, her only daughter, said. “She always used to tell me to live life to the fullest … so that when it is all said and done, you can hold your head up high and say, ‘I did everything I wanted to do.’ She was a person of wisdom. Lots of wisdom.”
Mrs. Thompson taught at numerous schools in the area and was cited by the Mayor’s Commission on Literacy, according to her daughter. She founded the THINK B.I.I.G literacy program with a slogan, “When you think big, there is no small result.”
Mrs. Thompson was born in Jackson, Miss., in 1958 and met her husband, the Rev. Derek Thompson, while the two were students at Tougaloo College. Derek, a West Philadelphia native who has been the pastor at Enon Chapel for 18 years, first set eyes on her when she was singing in the choir.
Last December, they celebrated 42 years of marital music.
“God gave me one of his best."
“Lou Rawls was right,” he said of a popular 1976 song, “when he said, ‘You’ll never find another love like mine.’”
They traveled internationally with their ministry, including a 2004 trip to the Middle East that included visits to Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and the Gaza Strip, her husband recalled.
“One pastor told us we were joined at the hip because he would never see one of us without the other. We did everything together. She was a confidant, a friend, a business partner. You name it. She was all that,” Derek Thompson said. “And she was gorgeous.”
Mrs. Thompson died on Saturday, April 11, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania from complications caused by the coronavirus. In addition to her daughter and husband, she is survived by sons David, Jonathan, Brian, Samuel, and Philip, and four grandchildren. A son, Nathaniel, died earlier.
“She gave me hope, strength — and, when times were bad, gave me the courage to go on,” Derek Thompson said. “One thing about my wife is that she knew the Lord. I’m satisfied knowing that she is rewarded, and all is well.
“God gave me one of his best."
— Ed Barkowitz