Birgitta Astrid 'B' Thompson, 77

Birgitta Astrid "B" Thompson passed away peacefully in her sleep early Friday, June 24, 2011, at Kalispell Regional Medical Center, following a brief illness. With her stepson Scott by her side, Birgitta passed just four days after the death of her husband, Bill, on Monday, June 20, 2011.

Birgitta Thompson was born Jan. 24, 1934, in Börlange, Sweden, to Götha and Birgir Paulson and raised in Linköping, Sweden, where she and her two older sisters attended private schools, learning several languages.

After spending two years at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, she was encouraged by her parents to travel all over Europe with her sisters for the next several years. She arrived in New York with her sister Barbaro Ingrid on Jan. 14, 1957. Birgitta spent time with her sister Ingrid and her husband Vincent Benya. While living in New York City, Birgitta worked for a company in the recording industry.

Birgitta met Robert Leedy and together they moved to California and married in 1964. She worked in the California office of Pakistani Airlines where she met her dear friend Lya from Columbia. Following a divorce from Leedy, Birgitta became co-owner of The Windmill Club, a popular Rodeo, Calif., cocktail lounge.

Birgitta met Bill Thompson in Sausalito, Calif., during the 1980s and they were inseparable from the start. They enjoyed many close friendships during their time together in the Bay Area. Following the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, they moved to Kalispell, where they quickly made new friends with whom they were fixtures at the Kalispell Elks, Eagles and Moose lodges. They married Oct. 8, 1999, in Kalispell.

Birgitta was blessed with an infectious laugh and razor wit. She was a loving wife, impeccable homemaker and devoted friend. She prided herself on immigrating to the United States and making a new life for herself, while cherishing her Swedish heritage.

Birgitta is survived by her sister, Barbaro Ingrid, and Vincent, of Cedar Grove, N.J.; nephews, Richard Benya, John Paul "J.P." Benya, and Stefan Lingheimer; stepsons, Scott and Kathy Thompson of St. Louis, and Chip Thompson of Red Bluff, Calif.; and stepgrandchildren, Amiya, Samuel and Molly Thompson, of St. Louis.

A memorial service for Birgitta and Bill is scheduled for Friday, July 8, at the Kalispell Elks Lodge. Please call the Elks Lodge for details.

Birgitta and Bill will be interred together at Bill's family crypt in St. Louis at a date to be determined.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Kalispell Elks Charity Fund, care of the Kalispell Elks Lodge.