Bertha "Bebe" Thompson

July 14, 1941 - April 8, 2018

On Sunday, April 8, 2018, Bertha Bell Thompson, a longtime, wellknown resident of Ephrata, Washington, passed away peacefully in her sleep. She was fondly and lovingly known to her friends and associates as BeBe Thompson. Bebe was born in Seattle, Washington on July 14, 1941 to Benjamin and Mabel Bell Thompson. She graduated Valedictorian from Ephrata High School in 1958 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa Cum Laude from Whitman College in 1962. Bebe received a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Washington on 1967, and went on to teach at the University of Seattle for seven years – after which time she received her CPA. Bebe returned to Ephrata to take care of her mother and grandmother where she worked as a CPA at the well-known firm of Sutter, Kunkle and Thompson in Ephrata and Moses Lake. Her family is remembered as the owners and operators of the Bell Hotel in Ephrata and many residents fondly recall having her mother, Mabel, as their teacher at the local Ephrata schools. Bebe not only will be remembered for her family ties to the community, but for her gift to gab, avid joke telling, generosity to others, and her sense of humor. Bebe was preceded in death by her grandmother, who died in 1989 at the age of 97; her father, Benjamin Thompson; her mother, Mabel Thompson, who died in 2012 at the age of 102; and her daughter, Linda Purcell in 2016. Bebe was 76 and will be greatly missed by many. At Bebe’s request, no service will be held. Donations made in her name to National Public Radio would be lovingly appreciated.