Alta Mae (Crandall) Thompson died on Sept. 19, 2004, surrounded by her loving family.

Alta Thompson, 94, of Altus, formerly of Duke and Sanger, Texas, was born on May 16, 1910, in Denton County, Texas. Alta was the third, of seven children, born to Cordelia (LeGear) Crandall and Jacob Hall Crandall.

Her siblings and their spouses were Franklin and Ethel Crandall, Iva Lorene Bentley and Dale Howard, LeRoy and Joyce Crandall, Alma Fay and J. Ira Groves, L.A. and Modene Crandall and Cordelia Elizabeth and Roy Markham. All are deceased except for Alta's older sister, Lorene Howard of Ft. Worth, Texas, one brother-in-law, J. Ira Groves of North Richland Hills, Texas, five nephews and one niece.

Alta's mother, Cordelia LeGear, was born in Hancock County, Tenn., and came to Texas as a child in a covered wagon, in 1886. Alta's father, Jacob Hall Crandall, was born in Fannin County, Texas, and moved to Denton County in 1890.

Alta was born, and grew up, in Sanger, Texas. Due to hard times and family illness, Alta had to quit high school, one year prior to graduating, and go to work, in order to help support her family, and to help keep her younger two brothers and two sisters in school.

Alta's husband and business partner Norris Carroll Thompson, whom she married on Jan. 11, 1938, in Pauls Valley, preceded her in death on Dec. 18, 1986.

Alta was a devoted daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend.

Alta worked in a caf/, both as a waitress, and as a cook. She was the cashier at the local movie theater that Norris operated and she also ran a boarding house for several years. Alta was able to keep her younger siblings in clothes and in school, until they all graduated from high school.

Alta and Norris dated 10 years before they could afford to get married. After Norris finished college at Decatur Baptist College in Decatur, Texas, he went to work in the oil field.

Not long after their marriage, Norris' father Edward Austin Thompson died in 1940, leaving the Oklahoma farm with no one to care for it so Norris asked Alta if she would move with him to Southwest Oklahoma just for one year and help him get the farm ready to sell, then they could move back to Texas where all of their family on both sides lived.

One year turned into two and two into three, and eventually one has turned into 63 years for Alta, to have lived in Oklahoma.

They borrowed the money to pay Norris' widowed Mother for the Thompson farm, and then they began their farming and ranching career, with very few assets and many liabilities.

Alta could always out pull Norris, when they pulled cotton, They didn't know that you needed to wear gloves, to pull cotton, when they moved to the farm, but thanks to some of their neighbors, they learned quickly, and the gloves sure made that back-breaking job, go a little easier.

Norris' cousin, Francis Riley, came to live with Norris and Alta, as soon as he graduated from High School Except for the two years that he was in the Army, he has been right there, on the Thompson farm. He moved there before Judy was born, and he is still there.

After Francis' military duty was over, he came directly back to the farm, and he and Norris started buying land, in a partnership, and Francis and Alta were still partners, until this past Sunday.

In 1946 Alta had a daughter, who kept her busy, and out of the field. As the daughter grew, her many activities, including driving many miles to take the daughter to piano lessons, sporting events, church activities, as well as nine years in 4-H club. Judy graduated from high school in Gould and then graduated from Southwestern State Pharmacy School, in Weatherford in 1969, and she has practiced pharmacy, since graduating, and since passing her state board. Judy continues to work as a pharmacist for Walgreen's Pharmacy in Hurst, Texas.

Due to the fact that Alta had to quit high school, right before her senior year, she always had the drive and the dream to finish high school, and to get her high school diploma. So in 1964, the same year that Alta's daughter Judy graduated from high school, Alta also finished her senior year and received her high school diploma through a correspondence course with the American School of Correspondence.

Alta was raised Methodist and Baptist. Alta's dad was Methodist and her mother was Baptist, so she was sprinkled Methodist as a child, and was baptized into the First Baptist Church of Gould in 1952. Alta was very active, in this church, for many years. While active, in the church, she taught a junior high Sunday School class, and served in this position for 8 years. She was superintendent of the Intermediate Department of Vacation Bible School for 6 years. Bible School usually came along, right about wheat harvest time, when she had to prepare meals for the harvest crew, but she managed to do both. She was still a member of the same church when she died.

Alta was active in the LaHoma Extension Club of Harmon County and always had many entries in handwork, canning, and baking, in the county fair each fall. She also served as secretary of the Self-Culture Club, vice-president of the Harmon County Council and was a member of the Eastern Star for 55 years.

Alta always kept very busy at home, keeping her large country home, keeping the books on their land and also keeping the records on their registered Angus cattle. She rode a 3 wheeler, to help check the irrigation, and cooked 3 meals a day for her husband and Francis and anyone else that might show up at noontime.

Alta's hobbies included ceramics, needlepoint and crafts of all sorts, flower gardening and also watering and mowing her acre of grass, surrounding the farm home.

When Alta was born, in 1910, you could buy a loaf of bread for 4 cents and a gallon of milk for 34 cents. Gasoline was 9 cents a gallon. You could buy a new Ford automobile for $950.00 and the average annual income was $1,156.00. Alta had seen a lot of changes in her 94 years.

Alta had lived in the Tamarack Retirement Center for eight years. She loved her apartment and loved being close to the farms, to visit them periodically and watch the crops planted, watch them grow, and watch them being harvested.

Alta was an inspiration for new comers, to the Tamarack Retirement Center. She told them all that it wasn't the same as being at home, but it sure ran a close second. Alta was up and dressed, every morning, with her hair combed and her make-up one, before breakfast and had her breakfast with her table mates in the cafeteria.

Alta has a very sharp mind and a great sense of humor, right up to the end, and her family thanks God for allowing them to have her here with them for all of these past wonderful years.

Alta's favorite charity was the Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children, Inc., 3800 N. May Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 83112-9750.

Left to cherish her life, and to celebrate her memory, is her cousin and her business partner, Francis Riley, of the farm home, her daughter and son-in-law Judy and Harvey Redelsperger of Richland Hills, Texas.

Also Alta leaves in God's care, her precious grandsons, and their wives and children, including Capt. Chad Carter and his wife, Holly Carter, of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Michael Perry and his wife, Melanie Perry, of Arlington, Texas ,and Alta's great-granddaughters, Zoe Hope Perry, Elise Faith Perry, Madison Love Perry of Arlington, Texas, and Raegan Lane Carter of Colorado Springs, Colo.

Also surviving Alta is one of Noris' sisters, Ethel (Thompson) Galbreath of Joshua, Texas, four nieces and five nephews.

Alta's extended family also includes her son-in-law's children, Harvey, Khanmela, Anthony, Cara, and Ashlyn Redelsperger, Kim Harbeck, and Jeff Redelsperger, as well as Kendall and Donna Aduddell, John and Karen Redelsperger, David and Jan Redelsperger and their families.

Funeral services are scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 23, 2004 at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Gould with Rev. Ralph Chapman and Rev. Sidney Lotts officiating. Graveside services will be Friday, Sept. 24, 2004 at 3 p.m. in the Sanger Cemetery at Sanger, Texas. Lowell-Tims Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

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