Donna Hines Thompson

Donna Hines Thompson was a woman who spent her life giving herself to others. Her life was rooted in a strong and unwavering faith, and that faith was expressed most clearly in the way she loved people. She loved deeply, gave generously, and was always there when someone needed her. For Donna, caring for others was never simply something she did—it was who she was. 

Donna grew up in the Roebuck community and was a 1967 graduate of Woodlawn High School. From an early age, she learned the value of family, faith, hard work, and looking after the people around her. Those qualities would remain with her throughout her life and became the foundation of the woman she would become.

Above all else, Donna was a wife, mother, and grandmother. Her family was her greatest joy and her proudest accomplishment. She poured her heart into her children and grandchildren and found happiness in being a part of their lives. She was ever-present in the stands at ballgames and in the audience at school events - always celebrating accomplishments and offering encouragement. She knew the details of their lives because she cared about every detail. Their successes were her successes, their struggles were her struggles, and their happiness brought her happiness. 

Donna had a remarkable ability to make the people she loved feel that they were the most important people in the world. She gave her time, her attention, her encouragement, and, most of all, her love. She poured into her family in ways that may not always have been recognized in the moment but will be deeply felt for generations to come. 

Donna found another way to live out her calling to care for others when she became a nurse. Nursing came naturally to her because caring for people had always been a part of her. She brought an extraordinary warmth and genuine love to her patients. She didn't simply treat them; she got to know them. She listened to them, worried about them, encouraged them, and cared for them as people. 

Donna's faith was at the center of her life. She believed in loving others, serving others, and being there for people when they needed her. She didn't need recognition for what she did. She simply did it because she cared. Her life was a quiet but powerful example of what it means to live with faith and love. 

She will be remembered for her beautiful heart, her generosity, her compassion, her sense of devotion, and the way she was always there for the people she loved. But most of all, she will be remembered for how she made people feel—loved, cared for, encouraged, and never alone. 

Donna was preceded in death by her father and mother, Herbert and Theolene Hines; her sister, Shearon Smith; and her brother, Herbie Hines. 

She leaves behind the family she loved so dearly: her husband, Richard (Dick) Thompson; her son, Jason Thompson and daughter-in-law, Tami Thompson; her daughter, Heather Fipps; her granddaughters, Libby Thompson and Lauren Thompson; and her grandsons - Walker Thompson, Andrew Baynham, and Jackson Baynham. She also leaves behind a host of nephews, cousins, and dear friends whom she considered family. 

Donna spent her life taking care of others. She was a wife who loved her husband, a mother who gave everything she had to her children, a grandmother who treasured every moment with her grandchildren, a nurse who cared for her patients as though they were family, and a friend who could be counted on. 

She showed up. She loved. She cared. She gave. 

And she left this world having made it a better place simply because she was in it. 

Her family will carry her love with them for the rest of their lives. And though they will miss her every day, they will forever be grateful that they were blessed to call her Meme. 

Donna's life was a gift. Her love was her legacy. 

Visitation will be at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home and Gardens on Gadsden Highway on Wednesday September 2, 2026 from 5 pm to 7 pm and Thursday September 3, 2026 from 9 am to 10 am. A service will follow at 10 am.