Thomas Ralph Thompson passed away on March 27, 2022 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in  Atlanta, GA. 

Thom was born in Terre Haute, Indiana on November 11, 1944, the first child of Ralph Russell Thompson and Hildred Juanita (Stout) Thompson. The family soon moved down to Indianapolis, Indiana where Thom’s brother, Terry Lee Thompson, was born in 1947. The family relocated to St. Petersburg, FL in late 1950. Tragically, Ralph died of lung cancer just a few years later, leaving Hildred to raise the boys by herself. Despite having been born with a severe visual impairment that was not diagnosed until years later, Thom did well in school and by the time he reached High School took a keen interest in Debate and Choir. He graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 1963. Thom went on to college, earning an Associate in Arts from St. Petersburg Junior College in 1966, where he focused on psychology, political science, and the humanities, though he claimed to have found his ‘heart’s true love’ in the theater. In 1968 he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Speech/English Education from the University of South Florida and continued there with his theater pursuits.

Thom tried teaching for a while but found it didn’t suit him. After some vocational training he started writing computer code for a company in Sarasota, Florida and also began working in food service. The latter occupation enabled him to move to Atlanta in June of 1972. He worked a variety of jobs while earning a Masters of Education in Speech Pathology from Georgia State University which he completed in 1979. Shortly thereafter Thom renewed his interest in computing and acquired a certificate from the Georgia Computing Programmer Project at Georgia Tech. Thom landed a job writing code for Coca-Cola, where he worked for over a decade, and had a number of different jobs after that, most dealing in some way with computing and customer service. Thom continued to seek self-improvement through education and earned his Bachelor of Social Work degree from Georgia State University in 1998. Thom’s last job was with Converse Computer Services from which he retired in 2010.

All his life Thom had a deep and abiding love for music and for the church. There were musical precedents from both sides of Thom’s family. His paternal grandfather was a country fiddler, and his mother Hildred used to sing at weddings and funerals in rural Indiana. She tried to cultivate Thom’s interest in music with piano lessons, but Thom didn’t take to them. In the 9th grade, however, Thom discovered the chorus and there he thrived. From that point on Thom lent his considerable vocal talents to, among others, The Atlanta Gay Men's Chorus, The William Baker Choral Foundation Summer Singers, and The All Saints’ Evensong Choir. His father Ralph was a member of the Church of Christ Scientist and tried to instill in Thom both a pragmatic attitude and a spiritual awareness. The latter took, and Thom began a religious quest that lasted his entire life. In 1964 Thom was baptized at Saint Mary Our Lady of Grace Church in St. Petersburg, Florida, and two years later was confirmed at St. Anselm’s Chapel Episcopal University Center in Tampa. When he moved to Atlanta Thom first attended The Church of Our Savior, but eventually found his home at All Saints’ Episcopal Church.

Thomas Ralph Thompson was preceded in death by his parents and brother. He is survived by his nephew Paul Michael Carelli, his niece Amey Melissa Payne, his grandnephew Jackson Joshua Randall, and by countless friends whose lives he touched with his kind heart, penetrating mind, and unending love for conversation and community.

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