Glenford E. Thompson

GLENFORD THOMPSON, son of the late Rufus and Virginia Thompson, was born on March 17, 1957, in Baltimore, Maryland. He departed this life on April 15, 2017. Immediately recognizable by his big smile and even bigger personality, Glen spread love and laughter like seeds, raised his only child, Christina, to full bloom, and nurtured his business to a towering success. A graduate of Northwestern High School and the University of Maryland, College Park, Glen worked as a security guard, pre-trial investigator, and private investigator before founding the landscaping business that would become his life’s work. The business began as T and T Landscaping, a partnership with his best friend, the late Donald Todd. Glen and Donald met in college and knew each other for a while before discovering that their brothers were also close friends. After Donald decided to pursue other interests, Glen operated the business, now G. E. Thompson’s Landscaping, as a sole proprietorship. The business, which serves both corporate and residential customers, became well known for the beauty of its landscape designs, quality of its work, and excellence of its customer service and community stewardship. Glen valued his employees and was rewarded with their loyalty. Through his business, Glen found an outlet for his creativity, artistic sensibilities, and love of nature. He reveled in the details, like the coloring of a variegated leaf or the texture of a tree’s bark. In his element discussing the genus and species of plants, Glen continually studied to improve his knowledge and craft. As a result of his passion and commitment, his work garnered praise and attention, including being featured in magazines such as Southern Home and Gardens. As proud as Glen was of his work, he was even more proud of the daughter he raised with his longtime companion, Lois. Glen was a devoted father, deeply involved in every aspect of Christina’s childhood. His relationship with Christina continued to grow as she graduated from Duke University and entered the workforce. In recent years, they became brunch and happy hour buddies. Glen enjoyed having Christina introduce him to new restaurants. Christina’s relationship with her dad became the envy of her coworkers. One reason for this: they witnessed him delivering lunch to her after she accidentally left hers at home. With Glen around, life for family and friends was always a celebration. The consummate host – even if it was not officially his party, Glen made sure that everyone had their fill of good food and good times. He loved to put on his apron and get behind the grill. He even hosted barbecues for his workers when they completed major projects. Because he was so busy serving others, he was often the last person to eat. With his easy conversation and wealth of jokes, Glen attracted attention and made all feel welcome. He coined nicknames for everyone, whether they wanted them or not. For all who would listen, he was happy to sing in his beautiful falsetto, especially the music of Lionel Ritchie, his favorite artist. Sometimes passengers in his car were dismayed to hear him play one Ritchie song over and over again – whichever one was his favorite that day. He enjoyed sharing Ritchie’s music with Christina, and the two of them attended a Ritchie concert together at MGM National Harbor. At his recent 60th birthday celebration, after everyone had their cake, Glen asked everyone to offer testimonials about him. “Tell me what you like about me,” he said, and if they did not say quite enough, he prompted them to say more. It comforts friends and family that they had that opportunity to share with Glen just how special he was to everyone he met. During his party, Glen said to a guest, “If I don’t wake up tomorrow, I will have died a happy man.” He leaves to mourn: his companion, Lois; daughter, Christina; sister, Janice Roberts; brother, Kenneth; brothers-in-law, William Roberts and Milton Spencer; sisters-in-law, June, Dale, and Grace; and a host of other family members and friends.

Tributes

Glenford E. Thompson

March 17, 1957 - April 15, 2017