Joan Elaine Thompson lived with conviction, courage, and a steady sense of purpose. At 87, she passed away Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at Mill Creek Nursing & Rehab in Galion, leaving behind a legacy woven deeply into Mansfield, Butler, and the wider Richland County community she served so faithfully.
Born February 5, 1939, in Mansfield, Joan was the daughter of the late Lyle E. Miller and Opal A. Alexander Miller. A proud 1957 graduate of Mansfield Senior High School, she stepped into adulthood with determination. Just months after graduation, she married Kenneth “Kenny” Thompson. Together they built a life anchored in partnership and devotion, sharing more than 51 years of marriage until Kenny’s passing on March 24, 2009. Their years together were marked by shared resolve, family pride, and quiet faithfulness.
Joan did not wait for doors to open—she walked through them and, at times, built them herself. She was the first woman elected as a Richland County Commissioner, serving from 1981 to 1984 with clarity of thought and steadiness of hand. In Butler, she again made history as the first woman hired as a police officer. For twelve years she wore the badge with integrity, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant. She believed in the rule of law, personal responsibility, and the importance of accountability. Even while working full time and raising a family, Joan continued her education, earning a degree in jail management—proof that learning, like service, never ends.
Her civic life reflected her character. Joan served on the Madison School Board, helped organize her Class of 1957 reunions, volunteered with Mid-Ohio R.S.V.P., and was an active member of the Butler Lion’s Club. She held life membership in the AMVETS Auxiliary, was named an Honorable Kentucky Colonel, and belonged to the Order of the Eastern Star. She was a woman who saw what needed to be done and did it. While serving with the Butler Police Department, she oversaw the collection of donations for 25 Big Wheels for Safety Town—an effort that blended her commitment to public safety with her care for children in the community.
Yet for all her public accomplishments, Joan’s greatest pride was her family.
She will be fondly remembered by her daughter, Cyndi (Harry) Collins; her two grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; special nephew, David Kinney; her daughter-in-law, Susan Thompson; her bonus son, Jim Jarvis; and her special friends, Carol Keifer, Pearl Adams, and Charlene Yarger.
In addition to her parents and beloved husband Kenny, she was preceded in death by her children, Michael L. Thompson, Todd A. Thompson, and Deborah J. Thompson; and her sisters, Jean Kindy and Joyce Kinney.
Joan’s life reminds us that leadership is not about titles, but about service. It is about showing up, standing firm, and caring deeply for the place you call home.
A service to honor Joan’s life and faith will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026, in the Lexington Avenue Snyder Funeral Home, with Pastor Jeff Robertson officiating. Friends may call from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home. Burial will follow in Mansfield Memorial Park.
In her years of service and in the quiet strength of her family life, Joan left a clear imprint—one of resolve, faithfulness, and duty carried out with heart.
The family kindly asks that donations in Joan’s memory be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Snyder Funeral Homes, Lexington Avenue Chapel is honored to care for Joan and serve her family.
To share a condolence or leave a fond memory of Joan, please visit her obituary page at www.SnyderFuneralHomes.com
Funeral Home: Lexington Avenue Snyder Funeral Home
Website: www.SnyderFuneralHomes.com