Michiko “Mich” Thompson, 76 formerly of Sgt. Bluff, passed away peacefully with her children at her side on Saturday June 22, 2019. A celebration of her life will be Thursday, June 27 ^th 5pm-7pm with the family present, at Waterbury Funeral Home in Sgt. Bluff, 400 4 ^th Street.  A private family burial will be at a later date.

Mich was born March 28, 1943 in Otaru-shi, Hokkaido, Japan. She arrived in the United States August 11, 1964, after marrying Richard Thompson May of ‘64 in Japan. They lived in Louisiana until April 1965 then moved to Oakes, ND. In September 1965 they moved to Sgt. Bluff where she remained until moving to Countryside Senior Living in January 2016. She and Richard divorced in 1991.

She worked for many years at MCI (where she was known as “the plant lady”), Motel 6, Days Inn, Baymont Inn & Suites, and she retired from Countryside Senior Living. She continued to cherish the friendships she made through working. She loved to sit at her kitchen counter visiting with friends and family.  She enjoyed dancing, rock & roll and Japanese music, taking care of her plants, flowers, and garden, cooking for others (especially Japanese food), tole painting, playing slot machines, watching Little House on the Prairie, and spending time with her grandkids. She was a great supporter of their activities. Her favorite football teams were the Dallas Cowboys and Iowa Hawkeyes. She found great joy returning to Japan in 2007 to see her family and visit her hometown.

She will be remembered for her sense of humor, her caring spirit (making sure others were taken care of before her), her ability to laugh at herself, and to make others laugh.  She left a lasting impression with anyone she met.

Mich is survived by her children, Brian Thompson of Sgt. Bluff, Jim (Wendy) Thompson of Sgt. Bluff, and Denise (Jason) Burkhart of Salix; her beloved grandchildren, Dallas (Tamra) Thompson, Samantha Burkhart, and Caleb Sassman; her soul sister and very best friend of 40+ years, Jo Heimbach.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Taka Miyata and Hideo Tsushima.

The family would like to thank Hospice for their care and support during this time and a very special thank you to the staff and residents at Countryside Senior Living; she considered you a part of her family. Memorials can be made to the family.