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Deborah "Debbie" Kay Thompson, age 75, of Belmont, WV, went to be with the Lord on Sunday, September 13, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Parkersburg, WV, on December 24, 1950. She is survived by her husband of 48 years, Ted Thompson; daughter, Alicia (Blaze) Armstrong of Belmont, WV; and granddaughters, Kamryn, McKenzie, and Kennedy Armstrong; niece, Shelly Melrose; and nephew, Jeff Melrose. She was preceded in death by her parents, Sylvia Lucille Hopkins and William Wiggins and one brother, Danny Melrose.
Some people leave behind a name, a career, accomplishments, awards, and titles. Then there are people who leave behind something much greater -- the imprint of their life on the lives of other people. Debbie was one of those people. Before she was a mom, she was a nurse. Before she was a Nana, she was a woman who spent her life learning how to care for people. Her life was never simply about having a job. It was about serving people. She began her professional life in nursing. She attended West Virginia University and earned her degree in nursing -- a profession that asks a person to care for people when they are frightened, comfort people when they are hurting, and remain strong when someone else is weak. Those qualities would follow her throughout the rest of her life. Although her career eventually took her far beyond the hospital and the nursing profession, she never really stopped being a caregiver. She simply found different people to care for. Debbie eventually became a member of the Pleasants County Board of Education and served as its president. She understood that education was about much more than buildings, budgets, and policies. It was about children, opportunity, and making sure the next generation had someone willing to stand up for them. She had a voice and she used it -- not because she needed to be heard, but because she believed the people she represented deserved to be. Another remarkable chapter of Debbie's legacy was her 37 years as director of Safety Town. For decades, she helped teach generations of children the importance of safety and the practices they needed to carry with them into the world. She helped children learn how to safely cross a street, recognize danger, make safe choices, respond in an emergency, and protect themselves and others. She spent her life trying to make the world safer for other people.
Perhaps one of the greatest chapters of Debbie's life was her work with the Pleasants County Committee on Family Issues and Family Resource Network, where she served as director for many years. Through that work, she became an advocate for people who needed someone in their corner -- children, parents, families, victims, and people struggling with addiction. She helped build and support programs designed to prevent child abuse, educate parents, strengthen families, protect children, and connect people with resources. She worked on programs involving child safety, parenting, domestic violence, substance abuse, family support, and prevention. She wasn't simply talking about helping people. She was doing it.
One of the causes closest to her heart was the protection of children. She helped bring child-abuse prevention programs into the community, worked with schools and families, and helped bring people together. She became associated with Pinwheels for Prevention, filling the community with blue pinwheels as a symbol of the promise we make to children: You deserve to be safe. You deserve to be loved. You deserve to be protected. In 2026, Debbie was still being recognized by Pleasants County schools for leading the county's Child Abuse Prevention Program. Still showing up. Still caring. Still fighting for children. She also worked to bring attention to substance abuse in the community and helped bring public officials to Pleasants County to talk openly about addiction. Her work eventually expanded to include the protection of older adults. In 2018, she was selected to serve on the Mid-Ohio Valley Elder Abuse Prevention Advisory Team through the West Virginia Attorney General's Office. After spending so many years advocating for children and families, she was now helping protect another vulnerable population -- people who could be abused, neglected, or financially exploited, and who sometimes needed someone else to speak up for them. She was willing to be that person. In 2024, she participated in a Gambling Disorder Screening Day in Pleasants County. She remained concerned about young people, gaming, gambling, and the ways new problems can quietly find their way into families. She didn't stop caring simply because she had already given decades of service. She kept learning. She kept listening. She kept looking for the next person who needed help. But her greatest title was not Director, Nurse, Board President, Advocate, Community Leader, or any other title appearing by her name. Her greatest titles were much simpler: Mom, Nana, and Wife. Her greatest accomplishments cannot be found on a piece of paper. They are found in the people who love her. She was Mom. She was Ted's wife. She was Nana. Those are the titles that matter most. Sometimes, a legacy is simply a family who can say: She was ours. A funeral service will be held Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Ingram Funeral Home in St. Marys, WV, with Rob Fraser officiating. Visitation for friends and family will be Wednesday, September 16, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the funeral home. An online guest register is available at www.ingramfh.com.