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Bert Thompson
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Bert went to be with his Lord on Thursday, April 10, 2008.
His memorial services will be held from 12:00 Noon to 1:30 PM, Friday, April 25, 2008 at the Chapelwood United Methodist Church (713.354.4487), 11140 Greenbay, Houston, TX 77024 (map). A reception will immediately follow services to fellowship together as the Restorative Justice Community of Texas.
In lieu of flowers, Bert had requested donations be made to Restorative Justice Alliance, POB 35351, Houston, TX 77235-5351. Also cards for Avril, Alan and the family may be sent to the same address.
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Donations to the Bert Thompson Foundation - Good Samaritan Fund - should be made to:
Restorative Justice Alliance
PO Box 35351
Houston, TX 77235-5351
April 23, 2008, 11:32PM
OBITUARY
Bert Thompson, helped ex-inmates readjust to society
By BILL MURPHY
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
He didn't know their slang, share their tastes in music or come from a hardscrabble background common to so many of them. But when he walked into a room, they listened.
"They called him uncle," Larry Frank said of his friend Bert Thompson. "They knew there was a man of goodness in the room."
After retiring as a tugboat captain, Thompson devoted much of his life to helping released inmates find apartments and jobs.
Thompson, 71, of Houston, died April 10 at Park Plaza Hospital after battling fibrosis for about four months.
He began working with former convicts on his tugboats, when they came to work as deckhands. He always saw them for what they could be and never wrote them off because of past acts, said Avril Thompson, his wife of 38 years.
"Bert was always rooting for the underdog. With the people who were down and out or hopeless, he always saw opportunity. He was always finding good in people," Frank said.
Thompson, Frank and others helped launch a Web-based effort by the nonprofit Restorative Justice Community to provide communities with information on placing released convicts.
He worked closely with released inmates who needed help, relying on his many contacts and vast network of churches and organizations.
"His mantra was, 'Preaching just doesn't do it. You have to develop relationships,' " his wife said.
Elizabeth Harrison, a friend, wrote in an e-mail, "Bert often said they needed more than a bus ticket and 50 dollars to make a positive change in their lives."
Son of a lawyer, Thompson was quick-witted and articulate and knew a good line once he hit upon one. More than a few local preachers heard his pitch.
"He would say to the ministers, 'Are you a shepherd of the flock?' And they would say yes," Frank said. "And he would say, 'Well, I've got some sheep coming back to your flock.' "
Born in Austin, Thompson grew up in Ardmore, Okla.
After getting out of the Army in 1959, he worked unhappily as a salesman for a decade, sailing in his spare time, his wife said.
"Finally, I told him, 'Get a job on the water. You'll be happy doing it,' " she said.
He took her advice. He began as a boat deckhand and worked himself up to chief mate within several years.
His love for the sea showed when he worked with others to help establish the Houston Maritime Museum.
Besides his wife, he is survived by his daughter, Stacy Kay Cantrell, stepson Allen Schneider and brothers Page Thompson and Steve Thompson.
Memorial services will be held Friday at noon at Chapelwood United Methodist Church, 11140 Greenbay Drive.
bill.murphy@chron.com |
