Ms Hortense Thompson-Criddell

Johnson & Jenkins observes cdc regulations for COVID-19 pandemic To View the Lifestream Service for Hortense Thompson-Criddell: https://youtu.be/NspVYGm8KkI Please honor Hortense Criddell's legacy by donating to any of her favorite charities below: Christian Appalachian Project World Wildlife Fund The Human Society of the United States HORTENSE BEATRICE THOMPSON-CRIDDELL December 16, 1925 – July 26, 2021 RETIRED FEDERAL EMPLOYEE – DEDICATED CHURCH MEMBER Hortense Beatrice Thompson Criddell was born December 16, 1925, the second of two daughters born to Lillian Taylor Thompson and Wilbert Thompson in Stuart, Florida. She transitioned in Washington, DC July 26, 2021, from cardio-vascular disease. Hortense was well-educated at Stuart Training School, the segregated school that African American students in Stuart were required to attend from kindergarten to the 12th grade. Hortense left Stuart to attend Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in Hampton, Virginia. She was a life-long member of historic St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church that was founded by the Thompson Family in 1912 in Stuart. The first African American church in Stuart to own property, the Thompson Family donated the property upon which the original church was built. In 1970, the new church building was built on property purchased from Hortense and her cousins Reginald Thompson Gant and Nellie Thompson Moore. Hortense was a dedicated member of the Bible Study class, was very supportive of church growth and also supported the church financially. At her death she was the oldest member of the founding family still attending St. Paul. Shortly after graduating from college, Hortense moved to Chicago, Illinois to work for the federal government. A petite, vivacious woman who was a sharp dresser, it was there that she caught the eye of Charles Henry Criddell, a WWII veteran and jazz musician who became the love of her life. Hortense and Charles were married in July 1958 and remained happily married for 43 years until his passing in 2004. Although the couple had no children together, she accepted and loved Charles’ daughter Margaret as her own. “I remember the cute ways she talked to my father,” recalled her step-daughter Margaret. “He would always let her have her way. I will miss her humor and caring ways.” In 1962, the couple moved to Washington, DC to work for the federal government. Hortense worked as an administrative assistant for the US Department of Labor and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from where she retired. She was a member of the DC Chapter of the National Active & Retired Federal Employees Association since 1989 and was its oldest member. After they both retired, Hortense and Charles built a home in Stuart where they lived during the winter and returned to their DC home in the spring. Margaret and her daughter Margie traveled to Stuart each year to spend the Christmas holiday with them. Shortly after arriving in Washington DC, the couple became dedicated members of Brightwood Park United Methodist Church (UMC). Hortense was a Lay Representative to the National UMC Conference. She taught Vacation Bible School and assisted in counting the Sunday offering after church services. An exceptional cook, Hortense always cooked a dish for Brightwood's annual Black History Month Dinner. She loved attending Sunday services and did not like the Zoom services that were held during the pandemic. She was excited when the church recently allowed a small group to attend services in person. When she was informed that the church was reopening, although he was new to the church, Pastor Hall became her favorite person said family members. Hortense loved fishing and could eat fish every day. Grand-daughter Margie’s fondest memory is of a fishing trip with her Gram. “In 2018, Gram came to Chicago and she and I went fishing. We sat for hours and didn't catch any fish. We decided to go on a different side of the lake and still didn't catch any fish. We noticed two gentlemen getting out of a boat with a couple of coolers. We asked if they caught any fish and they said yes. They asked if we caught any fish and we told them no. They showed us what they caught which were at least 20 largemouth bass. I guess we looked so sad that they asked if we wanted some of them and we gladly agreed. We asked them to take a picture of us holding the fish and that began the story of us catching bass in Chicago. I will miss her so much! I have so many memories, but this is the one that meant the most. I wanted this fishing experience with my grandfather but allowed my professional life to delay coordinating this event. She knew how important this fishing trip was to me. I thank God that I have this memory to hold onto.” Other family members remember Hortense as a loving, outgoing person with a big heart. “When I graduated from Howard University in 1975, I couldn’t bear returning to Philadelphia,” said her cousin Iya Marilyn Kai Jewett. “The day after graduation Mom and my Nana had the car packed and ready to go. I told them I wasn‘t going back. When they asked what I was going to do, I called Cousin Hortense and asked if I could stay with her and Cousin Charles. She didn’t hesitate for one moment and told me to come on. I lived with them for a little over year until I found a steady job and moved to my own place. I will always remember Cousin Hortense as a positive, non-judgmental spirit who was easy to talk to. She had a beautiful aura that lit up any room she entered. I could see why Cousin Charles loved her. I loved her and am thankful I had the chance to spend that time with her.” In addition to her parents and husband, Hortense Thompson Criddell was predeceased by an older sister Oretha Mae Thompson. She is survived by her daughter Margaret J. Criddell Taylor and grand-daughter Margaret “Margie” Lorraine Taylor, both of Chicago, Illinois; close cousins Daisy Carter and Alvin McHardy both of Stuart Florida; cousins Iya Marilyn Kai Jewett of Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, Lloyd Thompson of Houston, Texas, and Reginald Thompson Gant of Miami, Florida; extended family members George and Rosa Saunders of Stuart, Florida; godson James Hawkins of Washington, DC; close friends Clarence and Edna McKenzie of Washington, DC who looked after her after the passing of her husband; and a host of other family and friends. Visitation will be held from 10:00AM to 11:00AM, Friday August 6, 2021 at Brightwood Park United Methodist Church, 744 Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC with funeral services following from 11:00AM to 12 noon. Interment will take place at Moore’s Monterey Cemetery, the historic African American cemetery founded by her family in Stuart, Florida.

Ms Hortense Thompson-Criddell

December 16, 1925 - July 26, 2021

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Ms Hortense Thompson-Criddell

December 16, 1925 - July 26, 2021

365 Days of Grief Support

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Grief & Healing

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