Florence Naomi (Bosch) Thompson

Florence Naomi (Bosch) Thompson, age 86, died on Sunday, June 23, at Orangeville Nursing and Rehab Center, Orangeville. She had been in ill health since 2010. Surviving are daughter Marjorie Duck, son-in-law Thomas Duck, grandson Jeffrey Duck, Lewisburg; daughter Virginia Thompson, son-in-law Thomas Shaffer, grandchildren Brian and Caroline Shaffer, Swarthmore; brother Edmund Bosch, Jr., Kingston, NY. Daughter Barbara Thompson died in 1963 at age 8. Florence was born in Bay Shore, New York, on March 13, 1927, to Florence (Kelly) and the Rev. Dr. Edmund A. Bosch. The family moved to the west side of New York City in 1934 where Florence attended public schools, separated at the time by sex, graduating from Hunter High School and Hunter College. At age 16 she had her first job, serving as receptionist and keyboard operator for the Fighting French delegation. Throughout college Florence worked part-time in Bloomingdales at the candy department. She taught in Utica public schools for one year before marrying native New Yorker Louis Thompson in 1948. They started married life at Carson Long Institute, New Bloomfield, PA, where Louis taught English and Florence was librarian. In 1950 they moved to Bethlehem, PA, where Louis earned his Masters and Ph.D. degrees in English from Lehigh University. Their three daughters were born there. In 1958, the family moved to Williamsburg where Louis taught English at the College of William and Mary. In 1963, the family moved to Bloomsburg where Louis became chairman of the English Department at Bloomsburg University. The marriage ended in divorce in 1986. Feminist, passionate liberal Democrat, dedicated environmentalist, Florence worked to bring about positive change in the community. In the early 1970’s, Florence joined a group that developed the first multi-material curbside recycling in Pennsylvania, and one of the earliest in the country. The program became a model for programs across Pennsylvania, and won an award from the U.S. Dept. of Energy. She organized a briefing on the proposed nuclear power plant that allowed over 300 residents to hear the pros and cons of nuclear power. She served as President of Columbia Child Development Program and Columbia-Montour Mental Health Association Boards of Directors. She worked part-time at Friends-in-Mind Bookstore. In 1981 she accepted the position of Outreach Coordinator for the Women’s Center of Columbia/Montour. In that capacity she recruited, trained, and scheduled volunteers; presented programs on domestic violence to community organizations; trained police and medical staff to respond to domestic violence; and developed newsletters, brochures, and articles on the subject of violence against women. In 1981 she co-founded the Columbia/Montour Women’s Conference which, for 30 years, provided a day for women of the region to explore subjects of importance to women and the family, and to find inspiration for becoming involved in their communities. During this time Florence was also traveling across Pennsylvania describing the Bloomsburg Recycling Program and in 1986 forming a consulting partnership, Bresenhan, Thompson and Associates, that worked with communities in establishing recycling programs unique to each. She was elected to Bloomsburg Town Council in 1985, serving until 1994. While on Council she served on the National League of Cities Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee, and chaired that committee in Pennsylvania. She was a member of the National Recycling Coalition Board of Directors and the PA Resources Council. Her loss of vision in 1989 restricted her activities because she could no longer drive and could read only with aids. In 1992 she founded the Columbia County Democratic Women’s Caucus whose mission was to support women in leadership roles in the community and to focus voters’ attention on issues of importance to women and the family. She organized workshops for leadership and for potential candidates. In 1994 she moved to Seneca Falls, New York, the birthplace of women’s rights, where she bought the Hotel Gould with her daughter Virginia and son-in-law Tom Shaffer. She volunteered at the Women’s Rights National Historic Park. She returned to Bloomsburg in 1996. She served on the Victims of Crime Act for Columbia-Montour Advisory Board, and the Women’s Center Board of Directors. She has served as Democratic Committeewoman for her Bloomsburg District. She’s a life member of the American Association of University Women, a member of Ivy Club, the Columbia County Democratic Women’s Caucus, and the Columbia County Democratic Party. In the mid-eighties she was named Outstanding Woman in Community Service by the Columbia-Montour Women’s Conference. She received the Penn’s Woods Girl Scout Council Woman of Distinction award in 1992. In 1999 she received the Outstanding Citizen Award from the Women’s Center of Columbia/Montour. She received the Athena Award in 2000 from the Bloomsburg Area Chamber of Commerce, and was named one of 30 Outstanding PA Women by the PA Coalition Against Domestic Violence on its 30th anniversary in 2006. Florence enjoyed traveling. In addition to visiting many regions of the U.S. and Canada, she traveled to France, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, England, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Cyprus, Ghana, China, Japan, and South Korea. A time of Visitation for family and friends will be held on Sunday, June 30 from 5 to 7 p.m. from the Allen Funeral Home, Inc., 745 Market at Eighth Street, Bloomsburg. Those wishing may donate to Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, 226 Center St., Bloomsburg PA 17815; Columbia Child Development Program, 215 E. 5th St., Bloomsburg PA 17815; or The Women’s Center, 111 N. Market St., Bloomsburg, PA

Florence Naomi (Bosch) Thompson

March 13, 1927 - June 23, 2013