Joseph P. Thompson

HISstory The “Prince” of the Thompson family, Joseph Patrick, was born on March 17, 1955, in Baltimore, Maryland as the sixth child of the late Rev. Dockery S. and Zenobia Inman Thompson. This baby boy became the center of shared adoration, often found in the arms of his older sisters. Eventually, this precious gift to the Thompson family was affectionately known as Joe, Joey, JT, and “J.” He was baptized by his father and pastor of Friendship Baptist Church at a young age, where Joe’s musical talents were birthed through singing in the choir and occasionally playing the piano. Although he revered his parents and their guidance, he especially remembered how his mother recognized his musicianship and sacrificed to enroll him in the Peabody Preparatory School of Music. In addition, they developed a special loving relationship, which he honored by always attending Mother’s Day service. The formal music training and listening to the piano renditions of his older siblings, Sylvester and Sylvia, impacted his love of music. He found joy and inspiration listening to Sylvester’s interpretation of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and Sylvia’s constant practicing of classical music. Therefore, Peabody and his home experiences contributed to his performance and music composition development. The results were constantly played and recorded on his beloved keyboard along with his melodious versatile voice. Education was a prime goal of the Thompson’s parental upbringing of their children. So it was natural for Joe to attend the Baltimore Public Schools and graduate from Polytechnic Institute in 1973, followed by attendance to Howard University’s School of Architecture. By the time of Joe’s college years, his musical interest and performance levels had broadened with an appreciation of various genres—R&B, funk, Contemporary jazz, gospel, and classical. However, music remained his passion amid the collegiate academic life. For a brief time, Joe accompanied the Tones of Faith Gospel Ensemble, of which his sisters, Pat and Jean, were members. Also, he performed as an original member of the Universal Law Band as lead vocalist and keyboardist. His sister, Jacki, was “over the moon” when Joe asked her to be an occasional backup singer in the band. In both ensembles, he practiced that family bond established by his parents through his musical gifts. After college, family love and bond were exemplified when his sister, Gerri, introduced him to Federal Express. As a result, he was an exemplary employee for over thirty years, receiving numerous service awards and an outstanding citation for ten years without one day of absence. Besides being a model employee, he continued to practice his love of music and fulfill his second lifelong passion--playing tennis. His love of tennis emerged under the mentoring of his brother-in-law, Charles Coffey. Also, it brought him great enjoyment having his sisters-- Jean, Sylvia, Pat—brothers-in-law, and close cousins playing on the court with him. This artistic and athletic “Prince” relocated to Florida for love and marriage that ended in an amicable divorce. Joe loved Florida and gained special friends and neighbors that surrounded him like a family village of caring loved ones for over 25 years. They knew him as JT and as a “Really Good Guy” with a fantastic personality who treasured the sport of tennis. Upon his passing, their generosity demonstrated their respect and adoration for our Joe. Finally, this family’s loved one didn’t have any children of his own. Still, he was dedicated and devoted to his nieces and nephews, who describe their uncle as thoughtful, loving, funny, creative, smart, and generous. The sweet love between him and them was mutual. But, more importantly, he always created ways for family unity, such as the Annual Siblings Retreat and Flash Back Friday. Unfortunately, due to covid, group family activities were affected, and Joe began a period of reflection focused on his unfinished music compositions. He trusted his youngest sister, Jacki, to critique his sound before final production. However, he did not complete all he had planned, for he peacefully entered into final rest on November 25, 2021, Thanksgiving Day. Cherishing beautiful memories are one loving brother, Sylvester Thompson (Mary), five devoted sisters, Sylvia Coffey (Charles), Geraldine Thompson, Laura Jean Louden (Dave), Patricia Johnson (Manasseh), Jacqueline Richardson (Raphael); adored nieces and nephews, Lynn “Pooh” McKinney, Brandon Briscoe, Sr., Alisha Wilson, Lisa Finlayson, Charles Moore, Michael Thompson, Patrick Johnson, Genneya Briscoe, Erika Hawkins, Tiffani Rogers, Tamara Arthur; great-nieces and nephews, and a host of relatives and friends.

Tributes

Joseph P. Thompson

March 17, 1955 - November 25, 2021