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Mildred Thompson was one of county's oldest, at 107
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Joseph A. Garcia / Star staff Suz Montgomery, left, who teaches at the Venturan, shares a moment with Mildred "Bitsy" Thompson during Thompson's 106th birthday celebration. "We would talk about history, and she would interject anecdotes," Montgomery said. Photo courtesy of Betty Zucker Mildred "Bitsy" Thompson as a young woman with her son Daniel.
Mildred Thompson as a young woman photographed with her son Daniel Thompson, who went on to become a doctor. Photo Courtesy of Betty Zucker In 1972, she and her late husband, Dr. Daniel Thompson, moved to Port Hueneme.
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More from County NewsMildred Thompson, a 107-year-old "ball of fire," has died.
Thompson, believed to be one of the oldest residents of Ventura County, died April 11 at the Venturan, a convalescent center in Ventura, where she had lived since 2003.
She was still doing yoga, an activity she started in her 40s, right up to the end of her life, friends and family said.
Frank Thompson, her grandson, remembers walking into the living room in the early morning to find his grandmother, well into her 90s, standing on her head.
"I think that was the key to her longevity," said Frank, who lives in Raleigh, N.C. "She lived by herself until she was 99. She drove into her mid-90s."
Since 1995, six Ventura County residents have died at the age of 107, said Lauri Plunkett, chief deputy registrar with the Office of Vital Records. The oldest resident to die in that time was 110, Plunkett said.
McKinley was president when Thompson was born in Jamesport, Mo., in 1900.
She lived through the entire 20th century, witnessing the advent of planes, cars and television, and she clearly remembered details from events that took place decades ago, said Suz Montgomery, who taught classes at the Venturan.
"She was my most avid student," Montgomery said. "We would talk about history, and she would interject anecdotes."
Thompson, whose nickname was "Bitsy" — she was 4 feet 7 inches — was outgoing, caring and opinionated, said those who knew her.
"She would start a conversation with anybody," her grandson said. "Even at 107, she was still very lucid.
"She wouldn't hesitate to give you her opinion on something. I could talk to her about anything," he said.
Thompson grew up on a farm, where she was fond of riding horses bareback, Montgomery said. As a young woman, Thompson graduated from Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., then taught English in Puerto Rico for two years — a time in her life she talked about often, Montgomery said.
In 1972, she and her late husband, Dr. Daniel Thompson, moved to Port Hueneme.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Ventura TowneHouse, 4900 Telegraph Road, Ventura.
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